Visitors aged below 14 or over 70, the disabled, active soldiers and retired military officers are now allowed free entrance to world heritage site Lushan Mountain in east China.

This was the broadest preferential treatment Chinese scenic spots have ever offered to visitors from both home and abroad.

Local tourism officials said that this measure was designed to give more people a chance to understand the country's cultural heritage and natural resources.

Although some 7,000 people have been spared paying for entry since May, Lushan Mountain has witnessed a 55 percent growth in ticket sales and played host to some 130,000 visitors.

Situated on the bank of the Yangtze River, Lushan Mountain was listed as a World Heritage in 1996 for its ancient history as China's education and religious center. So far, over 500 historic scholars have left their calligraphy, poetry and literature there.

Early this year, it was listed as one of the first groups of World Geological Parks for its valuable remains of the Fourth Ice Age.

To better improve the heritage, local tourism management departments have demolished over 500 illegal structures and allowed only pollutant-free fuel in winter.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2004)