Foreign students visiting the National Museum of China in Beijing will enjoy significant savings with the purchase of a new annual pass, a special offer to mark International Museum Day.

With the pass, students will enjoy unlimited admission to all temporary exhibitions held in the museum as well as a permanent exhibition on specially collected treasures, the museum said yesterday at a press conference.

Discounts will also be offered on students' participation in museum activities, such as lectures and organized trips, said Li Wei, secretary-general of the museum's membership club.

"The pass is available exclusively to foreign students in China," she said. "As the national museum, we feel obligated to do more to promote Chinese culture and history to foreigners, especially the young."

Sold at a price of 60 yuan (US$7.5), the pass will enable students to enjoy about 20 exhibitions this year.

"If students buy tickets for each event, they would have to pay about 600 yuan (US$75) in total," Li said.

The lectures are mainly on Chinese culture, history and archaeology, and there are also exhibitions on foreign cultures.

There are also two trips scheduled to visit ethnic minorities in Southwest China and archaeological remains in Central China.

"Students with the pass will enjoy discounts on lecture tickets and travel fees, but we haven't decided how much the discounts will be," Li said.

Students are encouraged to contact their university's international office if they want to buy the pass. And Li said they had informed almost every school in Beijing that has foreign students. It is also possible to buy the pass from the museum

And to provide better service to foreign visitors, the museum, which is located on the east side of Tian'anmen Square, said they welcome foreign volunteers who can work as museum interpreters in their spare time.

"Volunteers should be able to speak moderate Chinese and a foreign language," Li said. "Though most of our exhibitions have English explanations, some visitors still find it difficult to understand."

Foreign students warmly welcomed the museum's invitation. Sam Gor, a US student at Beijing Language and Culture University, said he was very glad that they would have more chances to get a glimpse of Chinese culture.

"Most international students come to China for its culture and history," he said. "I will definitely visit the museum."

(China Daily May 18, 2006)