The China National Museum (CNM) at Tiananmen Square will start a restructuring and expansion project in the first half of next year, Wednesday's Beijing Morning Post reported.

The paper quoted CNM curator Pan Zhenzhou as saying that the CNM has invited international bidding for the project in February this year and is now gathering design plans.

However, the CNM has already begun collecting exhibits, though the project has not started yet, Pan said.

The project was originally scheduled to begin at the end of this year, but it was put off for "some adjustments to be made in the original plan for the sake of the overall planning and style of Tiananmen Square".

The project, approved by the State Council, is expected to be finished in 2007, with a total investment of 1.8 billion yuan (US$217.65 million).

By then, CNM will cover a total floor space of 150,000 square meters, with an increase of 85,000 square meters. Exhibition halls will occupy 35,700 square meters, including 15 theme exhibition halls, four non-regular exhibition halls, five halls for international exchange and four halls for donated articles. Other facilities include digital cinema, ceremony hall, data center, parking lot, bookstore, and shops.

The CNM was established from the merger of the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution on Feb. 28, 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2004)