Art museums and libraries in China will scrap entrance fees by the end of 2011, state media reported, citing a joint statement by the Ministry of Culture and the MInistry of Finance. The policy applies to all publicly owned museums, galleries and libraries from the central down to the local level. At present, most charge entrance fees of between RMB5 and RMB30 (US$0.75-4.55). To ensure that the institutions can continue to meet their financial obligations, the ministries directed finance departments at all levels to ensure that the loss of entrance fee revenue is compensated with subsidies. Institutions in the less developed regions of China’s poorer provinces will receive special subsidies. The statement also said museums and libraries should attempt to become more efficient by reforming their management structures and that they should make greater effort to reach out to the elderly and the disabled as well as to migrant workers.
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