The eastern province of Zhejiang has decided to offer free admission to its 105 state-run museums starting from 2004.

The Zhejiang Provincial Museum of great renown, which ranked the first in the province in terms of collections and number of visitors, would be the first to open for free next year, said Sheng Changli, vice-governor of the province, at a working conference on cultural heritage held in Hangzhou Wednesday.

He noted that all other state-run museums and memorial halls would exempt entrance charges in the near future to help citizens, young people in particular, to acquaint themselves more with China's long-standing civilization and cultural heritage.

The move would incur an annual loss of anywhere from 600,000 to 700,000 yuan (US$72,000 to 84,000) in admission fees, which would be subsidized by the provincial government, said Sheng.

Zhejiang has 179 museums that boast collections featuring various aspects of traditional Chinese culture and science. It is home to a memorial and former residence of the late great, revolutionary Chinese writer Lu Xun, a museum of the early Neolithic Hemudu site, and a memorial hall in commemoration of the Sino-British Opium War between 1839 and 1842.

In the 1990s, Zhejiang province offered free visits to state-run museums to certain groups of people: those in service in the People's Liberation Army, veteran teachers with more than 30 years of teaching experience and senior citizens over 70 years old.

Earlier this year, the provincial capital of Hangzhou opened all state-run museums to the public for free, a move appreciated and widely acclaimed by its citizens and tourists alike.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2003)