From Sept. 1, Beijing cinemas will issue about 900,000 coupons to moviegoers to encourage them to watch patriotic films as a prelude to China's National Day holiday.

From Sept.1 to Sept. 20, after buying a full price ticket for a domestic film at any cinema in Beijing, moviegoers would receive one of the coupons, said Wang Jian, an official with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television. "About 900,000 people are expected to go to the cinema during this time."

From Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, audiences holding a coupon will have to pay only 10 yuan (1.50 U.S dollars) for a ticket to any movie being shown, compared with an average ticket price of 34 yuan, he said.

A string of patriotic films is scheduled for screening from September through October to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1.

Among the films is "Jian Guo Da Ye", or "The Great Cause of China's Founding", which is set for release on Sept. 17. It stars more than 100 big-name mainland and Hong Kong stars including Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Andy Lau.

"We will hold special screenings of films for orphans, children of migrant workers, and model workers from Aug. 30," Wang said. "We hope all residents are able to share the achievements of China's film industry during the past 60 years."

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2009)