Having gained approval, by being passed through the municipal public price hearings, the admission price to the Ming Tombs in Shisanling were raised from February 10. This was decided by the Commodity Price Bureau of Beijing Municipality recently.
The adjusted ticket price is as follows:
Off-season (November 11 ? March 31)
Dingling Tomb 40 Yuan (US$4.8)
Changling Tomb 30 Yuan (US$3.6)
Zhaoling Tomb 20 Yuan (US$2.4)
Sacred Way 20 Yuan (US$2.4)
Busy season (April 1 ? October 31)
Dingling Tomb 60 Yuan (US$7.2)
Changling Tomb 45 Yuan (US$5.4)
Zhaoling Tomb 30 Yuan (US$3.6)
Sacred Way 30 Yuan (US$3.64)
The reason given for this increase in price was to raise funds for the continued salvaging, recovery and protection of cultural relics across the Ming Tombs landscape. In addition, it is hoped that the funding will provide an enhanced tourist experience for those visiting from at home and abroad.
It is also hoped that the Ming Tombs will provide preferential treatment for children, army veteran cadres, students, the elderly and those on special rates.
The Ming Tombs are situated in a broad valley south of Tianshou Mountain (Longevity of Heaven) in Changping District, which is about 50 kilometers northwest of downtown Beijing. Southwest of this valley, a branch of the Yanshan Range breaks off abruptly and a natural gateway forms an entrance to the 40-square-kilometer basin in which the tombs were built. With natural defences, the Dragon and Tiger hills, on either side, this sacred area is said to be protected from the winds that carry harmful influences. This peaceful valley is the burial place of 13 of the 16 Ming emperors.
(China.org.cn by Wang Zhiyong, February 13, 2002)
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