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Free entry policy boosts Chinese museum numbers
Chinese museums and memorials have attracted more than 820 million visitors over the past two years thanks to a free admission policy, according to the country's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH).
The figures for the last two years were both up 50 percent from those of 2007, the last year when people had to buy tickets for visits, said Song Xinchao, SACH's director of museums. A total of 1,447 national and provincial museums and memorials have become free of admission since January 2008, with the exception of a few world-famous cultural relics such as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, both in Beijing.
Song said the fees had discouraged many people, especially those with low incomes, from entering. Now, however, the sites are witnessing a steady flow of visitors after a sharp hike in numbers shortly after the introduction of the policy. Visitor numbers at major museums are said to be averaging around 3,000 a day, while the figures for medium-sized and small ones were 600 and 200 respectively.
Pic: Inside Beijing's Forbidden City, still a chargeable attraction
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