The decision was spurred by a letter from a veteran teacher in Hefei, capital of the eastern Anhui province, in which she suggested the Jiuhua Buddhist mountain, like most parks and buses in Hefei, should offer free tours to senior citizens in line with the centuries-old Chinese custom of respecting the elderly.

Liang Mingqing, 60, has been a teacher for decades and worked for about 10 years in the Tibet Autonomous Region in her younger years. Ever since her retirement, Liang has been planning to travel extensively across the country.

"On behalf of all senior citizens in China, I wish tourist destinations would offer special discounts to the elderly in terms of admission fees and accommodation charges," she said in an interview with Xinhua.

The management of the elegant Jiuhua Mountain, after receiving Liang's letter early in January, decided to invite some 17,000 senior citizens aged over 60 for a free tour this year. Liang and her husband were among the first 50 lucky couples to receive such an invitation.

Jiuhua Mountain in southern Anhui became known as a leading Buddhist mountain more than 1,000 years ago after a prince from Korea practised the religion there.

Moreover, it had gained increasing popularity after Li Bai, a distinguished Chinese saint poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), wrote more than 50 poems to laud its unique beautiful scenery.

(eastday.com February 17, 2003)