Ancient academy's admission fee questioned

Legal experts challenged the justifiability of the expensive ticket price charged by Yuelu Academy, an institution of higher learning with a history of over a thousand years.

Ni Hongtao, a law professor from Hunan Normal University, raised his doubts over the legality of the 50-yuan ticket fee demanded by the academy in an online article on Dec 11.

In his article, Ni said Yuelu Academy, as part of Hunan University, a public institution, has no right to charge an admission fee.

Ni also questioned whether the ticket income of the academy has been used for heritage protection.

Yuelu Academy, established in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), is one of the country's oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education. It sits at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan province.

In response to the issues raised by Ni, a staff worker with Yuelu Academy told thepaper.cn that the institution earned around 30 million yuan ($4.35 million) from ticket sales in 2017, of which 20 million was used to cover operation expenses.

Yuelu Academy is currently a subordinate organization of Hunan University, according to a public statement published by the school on Dec 11.

It said the academy, as a cultural relic under state protection, charges admission according to relevant laws and regulations, and the ticket income is spent mainly on heritage protection, exhibition and research.

Qin Qianhong, a law professor from Wuhan University, echoed the opinion of Ni Hongtao.

Qin said the admission fees collected by Yuelu Academy, which is a national historical site, should be used for the public good, and the use of ticket revenues should be subject to public scrutiny.

He said tickets for the academy are overpriced, as evidenced by the surplus of 10 million yuan registered last year.

Exorbitant ticket prices for scenic areas and places of interest have long been a source of complaints from the public as many local authorities view the scenic spots as a cash cow.

In this year's Government Work Report, Premier Li Keqiang vowed to reduce prices for key tourist attractions across the country.

Before the National Day holiday, a peak season for tourism, around 1,000 State-owned scenic spots lowered their ticket prices, showed statistics published by the National Development and Reform Commission.