In a special initiative to mark International Museum Day foreign
students visiting the National Museum of China in Beijing will enjoy
significant savings with the purchase of a new annual
pass.?
The pass will allow students to enjoy unlimited admission to all
temporary exhibitions in the museum as well as a permanent showing
of especially collected treasures, it was explained by the museum
at a press conference yesterday.
Discounts will also be offered on students' participation in
museum activities such as lectures and organized trips, said Li
Wei, secretary-general of the museum's membership club.
"The pass is available exclusively to foreign students in
China," she said. "As the national museum we feel obligated to do
more to promote Chinese culture and history to foreigners,
especially the young."
Costing 60 yuan (US$7.5) the pass will allow students to enjoy
about 20 exhibitions this year. "If students buy tickets for each
event they'd pay about 600 yuan (US$75) in total," Li said.
The lectures are mainly on Chinese culture, history and
archaeology but there are also exhibitions on foreign cultures. Two
trips are scheduled to visit ethnic minorities in southwest China
and archaeological remains in central China.
"Students with the pass will enjoy discounts on lecture tickets
and travel fees but we haven't decided how much the discounts will
be," Li said.
Students are advised to contact their university's international
office if they want to buy the pass. And Li said they had informed
almost every school in Beijing with foreign students of the
scheme.? It's also possible to buy a pass from the museum.
To provide a better service to foreign visitors the museum,
which is located on the east side of Tian'anmen Square, say they'll
welcome foreign volunteers who could work as interpreters in their
spare time.
"Volunteers should be able to speak moderate Chinese and a
foreign language," Li said. "Though most of our exhibitions have
English explanations some visitors still find it difficult to
understand."
Foreign students warmly welcomed the museum's scheme. Sam Gor, a
US student at Beijing Language and Culture University, said he was
very glad that he would have more chances to catch a glimpse of
Chinese culture.
"Most international students come to China for its culture and
history," he said. "I will definitely visit the museum."
(China Daily May 18, 2006)