Heritage sites in China to hand out free tickets

China plans to give out 37,000 free tickets to 74 of its UNESCO World Heritage and scenic sites to celebrate its first Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, Zhang Linwei, deputy head of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development's urban construction department, said on Friday.

The central government decided in late 2005 to establish a Cultural Heritage Day, which falls on the second Saturday in June, with the aim of enhancing people's awareness of protecting cultural heritage.

This year, the State Council decided to change the day into Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, which falls on June 10 this year, after some well-known scholars, including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Liu Jiaqi and Yuan Daoxian, made suggestions last year, Zhang said.