Palace Museum Free-visit Days Benefit over 5,000

The Palace Museum in Beijing has received more than 5,000 Chinese teachers, college students, soldiers and police officers on free-visit days, since it began waiving entry fee for these groups in December, the museum announced on Monday.

The Palace Museum, on trial basis, made the first Wednesday of each month from December 2014 to April 2015 a free-visit day.

To date, 3,899 teachers, 1,126 college students, 530 servicemen and women as well as police officers have visited the museum for free.

The museum will open to the nation's doctors and nurses for free on March 4, it announced.

The initiative aims to foster interest from these key groups of society in the popular ancient Chinese palace during the museum's quieter months, while at the same time reducing the hordes of tourists during high season, according to a previous statement of the museum.

Adult tickets for the museum costs about 60 yuan ($9.78).