BEIJING - The nearly 600-year-old Palace Museum is attracting more and more young visitors, according to statistics made public on Monday.

Among over 17 million visitors to the museum last year, 40 percent were under 30, while those aged between 30 and 40 also accounted for 24 percent, showed statistics from the museum announced at a press conference.

In the meantime, visitors are staying longer in the museum and paying more attention to various exhibitions inside the former imperial palace.

New exhibitions also drew more visitors during the museum's traditional off-season, which last from Nov 1 to March 31.

For example, with the introduction of activities themed on the Spring Festival, the number of visitors during the first two months of 2019 grew by over 50 percent year on year.