Twenty-four parks in China's largest metropolis Shanghai are giving out complimentary tickets on the 10th of every month, starting in March. 

The number of visitors surged when the parks opened for free for the first time on Wednesday.

Shanghai Arboretum received 80 thousand visitors, setting a new record, and the Gong Qing Forest Park received 70 times as many people, compared to the same day last year.

Toilets and stores in the parks were unable to meet the demands of the huge number of visitors.

As the next free admission day, April 10th, is Saturday, some parks are preparing for the expected influx of people by building temporary rest rooms and adding more parking lots.

(CRI March 12, 2004)