Annual pass opens doors to many museums

Good news for museum fans in Beijing: An annual pass of museum tickets was released last week by the Beijing Museums Association, which will enable visitors to enter 115 institutions in the capital city to either for free or for discounted rates, in 2019.

The annual pass, costing 120 yuan ($17.3), is designed as a pocket book. It also offers a brief introduction to the destination as well as guidance for transportation and contact information. It is sold through post offices, Xinhua Bookstores, ticket offices of museums and the website, www.bowuguan.com.cn.

Most tickets in the booklet can be used for two adult visitors.

"We want to encourage family visits to museums, as children already enjoy free or discounted entry to many museums in Beijing," says Cao Wei, the general manager in charge of promoting the annual pass.

The list of museums in the annual pass includes many historical landmarks in Beijing, which are publicly-owned institutions run by city-level administrators, like the Confucius Temple and the Guozijian (imperial college) Museum, the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower by Tian'anmen Square, and Bell and Drum Towers.