Beijing's Old Summer Palace, known to locals as Yuanmingyuan Park, will open to students for free starting on September 1, Beijing Morning Post reports.

Yuanmingyuan Park, a site for "patriotic education," is an ancient royal garden left in ruins by the British and French invaders during the Second Opium War in 1860.

Students in organized groups from colleges, middle schools or primary schools can visit the park for free as long as they have reservations and introduction letters issued by the schools.

Other groups come to visit for patriotic education purposes will enjoy a 50 percent discount, also with reservations and proper introduction letters.

Meanwhile, the park will be open to all visitors free of charge on every National Defense Education Day, the third Saturday of September.

The current ticket prices for ordinary visitors are: 10 yuan for an adult at the front gate, another 15 yuan to go into the European Palaces, and additional 10 yuan to see a full view model of the grand park. Individual student visitors can have various discounts.

Yuanmingyuan Park was built during the Qing Dynasty, and functioned as both an office compound and a residence area for the emperor. It covers an area of 350 hectares with 40% water surfaces.

(CRIENGLISH.com August 30, 2007)