Chinese government is to open more museums, memorial halls and
national patriotism education bases to the public for free amid
efforts to upgrade cultural services.
All national museums and provincial comprehensive museums will
stop charging entry fees this year, says a government circular.
Museums and memorial halls listed as national patriotism
education bases will open for free, adds the circular, jointly
issued by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee, the ministries of finance and culture, and the
State Administration of Cultural Heritage on Jan. 23.
Free entry is also available to museums above county level in
Zhejiang, Fujian, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and Gansu provinces and
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are
encouraged cut or abolish entry fees according to their
circumstances, the circular says.
All museums, memorial halls and national patriotism education
bases will be free to visit by 2009 except cultural relics and
historical sites, which will have cheap rates for minors, the
elderly, soldiers, the disabled and low-income families, says the
circular.
For special or guest exhibitions, museums and memorial halls can
charge fees, the circular says, and museums are encouraged to have
cheap tickets and flexible plans, such as regular free entry, and
cheap tickets for groups and families.
China has more than 2,300 museums with more than 20 million
exhibits. They received more than 150 million people last year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2008)