China continue funding science museums for free entrance

BEIJING -- China will allocate 545 million yuan (about $85.5 million) in 2018 to support the scrapping of entrance fees for selected science museums, the Ministry of Finance said Thursday.

The money will ensure entry into selected science museums across the country free-of-charge. Museums in Beijing and Shanghai, however, will not be funded.

China started to support science museums opening their doors for free in 2015.

From 2015 to 2016, China allocated a total of 897 million yuan to 123 selected science museums to scrap entrance fees.

The funds earmarked for last year totaled 553 million yuan, covering 138 selected museums.

Popular destinations such as China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing will not be free, as there is concern that already crowded museums could not accommodate drastic surges in visitor numbers.