Palace Museum to discount tickets for afternoon visitors

The Palace Museum in Beijing will trial discounted tickets for visitors after 2 pm from Sept 12 to 14, Beijing Times reported on Monday.

Entry will cost 30 yuan ($4.90) — half the usual price — to tour the imperial palace of the last two feudal dynasties in China. The ticket will not cover entry to specialized exhibitions, however.

Statistics show that more than 10 million people visit the museum each year. The usual peak hours for visitors to enter the museum are from 10 am to 1 pm.

The ticket discount is one of three solutions the museum is trailing to encourage people to visit outside peak times and to better protect the historical relics, ensure the security of visitors and provide better service.

It also intends to offer annual tickets at 300 yuan for the general public and 150 yuan for senior citizens and students. Those tickets allow 10 visits to the museum within the year.

In addition, it plans to have themed free open days on the first Wednesday of each month from November 2014 to April 2015. Teachers, doctors, volunteers, military personnel, police and college students can visit for free on their individual day. They must make an appointment and no more than 10,000 people will obtain permission each day.