Some of Beijing's most famous tourist attractions may raise their admission costs.

All 21 delegates at a hearing Tuesday agreed to proposals that the city's five world heritage sites -- including the Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall -- increase ticket prices.

"The price adjustments may help raise funds for heritage protection so that we can better implement the World Heritage Convention and preserve the sites' original appearance and landscapes," said Zheng Xiaoxie, a renowned cultural relics expert who participated in yesterday's hearing.

According to the proposals, the price of admission at the Imperial Palace Museum during the low season, between November and March, will be raised to 80 yuan (US$9.6) from the current 40 yuan (US$4.8). During the busy season, between April and October, the price will go up to 100 yuan (US$12) from 60 yuan (US$7.2).

At the Badaling section of the Great Wall, off season prices will climb to 60 yuan (US$7.2) from 35 yuan (US$4.2), and during the peak period, they are expected to jump to 80 yuan (US$9.6).

Other heritage sites that will see higher admission prices include the Summer Palace, an imperial garden built in 1750, the Temple of Heaven, an imperial sacrificial altar built in 1420, and the Dingling and Changling tombs of the Ming Mausoleums where 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were buried.

Wang Xiangyun, an official at a residents' committee of a community in Haidian District, said at the hearing that the current ticket prices are much lower than those of the tourist sites in other provinces.

For instance, tickets to the ancient city of Pingyao in Shanxi Province are 120 yuan (US$14.5), and getting into the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, costs 100 yuan (US$12), said Wang.

Lu Zhou, vice president of the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, said more than 90 percent of the total income of the five heritage sites comes from ticket revenues, and this money barely meets the requirements of basic daily maintenance.

"The increased revenue raised from the price hikes can be used not only to improve the service level at these sites but also to repair cultural relics," said Lu.

The five sites plan to plunge a total of 3 billion yuan (US$360 million) into renovation work over the next three years, according to their management offices.

However, many public delegates showed concern about whether the increased income will really be used for heritage protection and they called for a supervisory system.

Lang Danke, vice director of Beijing Consumers' Association, said management should provide audit reports in the future.

Most of the delegates also shared the view that the proposed increases will not curb the increasing flow of visitors to sites already saturated with tourists. They called for management to adopt compulsory methods to limit the number of tourists.

Most delegates also suggested that entry be free to primary and middle school students on selected days each month.

(China Daily December 1, 2004)