Beijing has a pleasant surprise up its sleeve for students on New Year's Day -- some of the city's museums are freeing primary and middle school students from entry fees for the year.

The municipal Cultural Relics Bureau announced yesterday that students in Beijing can visit at least 16 museums at no charge beginning next year.

The museums are direct affiliates of the bureau. Among them are the Capital Museum, Ancient Architecture Museum, Ancient Coins Exhibition Hall, Dajue Temple, and Baita Temple.

However, some of the other more than 100 museums in the city are not subject to the policy. Around 60 per cent of the ticket income at museums comes from middle and primary school students each year.

If such a large number of visitors are freed from paying fees, the museums budget would be severely hurt and it could hardly remain operating, said Liu Chaoying, head of the museum division at the bureau.

"The finance bureau has agreed to allocate a subsidy next year for this new policy, but the amount of the subsidy can only help operate a few museums. That is why we chose only 16 museums at this time," Liu explained.

Mei Minghua, head of the cultural relics bureau, said the bureau's goal is to allow all people to visit all the museums in Beijing without ticket charges.

"But given current financing system of museums, there is still a long way to go," Mei said.

The bureau yesterday also released news that 30 cultural relics and ancient buildings in the city have been upgraded to the city level as "protected units" from earlier distinction as district-level sites.

The newly added city-protected designation was given to sites including several traditional courtyards -- called siheyuan -- and some ancient temples, such as Lingyue and Baipu.

Mei said these 30 cultural relics will have higher protection and restoration standards, and several dilapidated ones among them will be repaired next year.

(China Daily December 26, 2003)