After kindergartens, menus and guideposts, the latest things to go bilingual in pre-Olympics Beijing are explanations at tourist sites and maps.

The Beijing municipal government launched a campaign on Saturday to erect bilingual signboards at the city's 324 major tourist spots and distribute 6 million bilingual pocket maps.

All the signboards, with the names, history and background information of the tourist sites in Chinese and English, will be up before the Beijing Olympic Games begin in August.

"Many of the tourist sites, which are located in Beijing's numerous hutongs (ancient city alleys), are hard to find for foreign tourists," said Yu Ping, vice head of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.

With the English explanation, they can better understand the tourist sites, she added.

Meanwhile, 6 million maps in Chinese and English will also be distributed for free at Beijing's airport and at designated hotels, tourist spots and Olympic venues.

The pocket maps, in categories such as the Great Wall, mausoleums and museums, are expected to provide visitors information such as their location and routes.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2008)