Changchun authorities will continue to waive entry charges to Jingyuetan national forest park one day per month despite some visitors causing damage to plants and leaving piles of litter on the first day of free admission last week, the city's mayor said yesterday.

However, visitors must take better care of the 70-year-old park and workers there must be better prepared to deal with the crowds, Cui Jie, mayor of Changchun, capital of Jilin province, said.

"On a normal day, it would cost a family of three about 100 yuan ($14.60) to enter the park, which is a lot for some people. We want everyone to have the same rights to enjoy the city's green environment," he said.

Gong Wenbin, chairman of the Changchun Jingyuetan Tourism Development Group said more than 70,000 people, three times the daily average, visited the park last Tuesday, the first free-admission day.

But they left behind a trail of litter and cigarette butts, and damaged lawns and lotus flowers, he said.

"It took almost all of the park's cleaners and some local farmers a whole day to clear all the rubbish," Gong said.

The park is known for its ponds full of lotus flowers, which blossom in the summer, but this year there will be nothing but bare stems, as the visitors picked all the blooms, he said.

Despite the disappointing behavior of some visitors, others did offer to help with the clean up effort, Gong said.

Cui said authorities were currently considering possible extensions to the park promotion, such as offering discounts on weekdays, and free admissions to certain groups on holidays like Children's Day and Teachers' Day.

Most other parks in the city are free to enter.

(China Daily July 24, 2008)