BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China will build its first school dedicated to training professionals for relics repair and restoration, an official of the Palace Museum said Sunday.

Dubbed as a "medical school" for relics, the project will be led by the Palace Museum in partnership with several universities, aiming to address the shortage of professionals competent in repairing and restoring relics, said Song Jirong, head of the restoration workshop of the Palace Museum, also known as the museum's "hospital" for relics.

Song made the statement in her capacity as a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, on the sidelines of its annual session which opened on Sunday.

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is the former imperial palace of two consecutive dynasties that date back about 600 years. It is now the country's best known museum and houses more than 1.8 million pieces of relics.

The museum's restoration workshop, which Song headed, was established in 2016. It has the nation's most-advanced restoration equipment and experts. Enditem