Guangdong Museum of Art in Guangzhou (Guangzhou Daily)
Chinese citizen will not have to pay to enter the country's public art galleries in two years, said a joint statement by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance released Thursday (Feb 10).
By the end of 2011, there will be no charge for Chinese citizens to enter public art galleries at state and provincial levels. By the end of 2012, all public art galleries will be free for citizens, said the statement.
The move comes after the nation offered free access of its museums and memorial halls to the public in 2008.
The statement said that finance departments at all levels should increase investments to art galleries and libraries so they could run without charging, while also enabling them to improve basic public cultural services.
The central government will also arrange special funds to subsidize art galleries and libraries in the less developed central and western parts of China.
The statement said art galleries and libraries should improve management and organizational structure to boost operational efficiency, as well as to improve their services to special groups such as children, rural migrant workers, and the elderly.
