BEIJING - The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, will open 76 percent of its premises to the public by 2018, said the museum curator Shan Jixiang on Friday.

Currently only 52 percent of the six-century-old imperial palace is open to tourists, Shan told a group of journalists.

By 2015, the museum will open the palace's western part, which used to contain the imperial harem, he said.

The currently accessible part of the palace is the central and eastern part, the office and residence of emperors, as well as the imperial garden.

Located in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City was home to China's emperors and was the highest center of power from 1420 to 1911. It attracts more than 15 million visitors annually.

Shan said the Palace Museum would like to work closely with the Palace Museum in Taipei as they will complement each other in many ways.

The Palace Museum has jointly held several exhibitions with Taipei's Palace Museum in Taiwan but none in the mainland yet.

Shan said he hoped the two sides will remove barriers and realize two-way exchanges as early as possible.