People were screaming and laughing while playing games in the Beijing International Sculpture Park as the Carnival tour began in Beijing Friday night.

It is the second time for Carnival to tour China after it went to Shanghai last summer. Beijing residents were cramming into the park despite a high ticket price of 50 yuan (US$6.1).

Monitoring computers had been set up at the entries and exits to watch the visitor number. The gate would be shut temporarily if the number exceeded 120,000, said the organizers.

During the 52 days of the festival, Carnival is expected to receive 2.5 million visitors, 300,000 more than in Shanghai last year, organizers estimated. 
 

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2004)