A local entrepreneur has opened three museums to the public in Tianjin Municipality to become the first private museums in this north China port city.

On display in the museums are hundreds of old relics including domestic items, wooden figurines and furniture collected by Zhang Lianzhi, president of the Tianjin Yueweixian Group.

One of the museums exhibits 216 old Western-style guns and pistols which have been filled with lead and cannot be fired. These guns are valuable for the study of the history of Chinese modern firearms.

The exhibits belonged to the nation and should be used to acquaint more people with China's history, Zhang said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2002)