Ticket prices at Wudang Mountain's Golden Hall to go up

The price of entrance tickets to Golden Hall on Wudang Mountain will increase from 20 yuan to 27/30 yuan. The city price bureau held a hearing at the Wudang Mountain hotel, the afternoon of July 18, 2012, to discuss the price adjustment, where 17 representatives expressed their opinion on the matter. The final decision will be made by provincial authorities.

Reasons for the price rise

Li Guangfu, a government official and head of the local Taoist Association, introduced the area by saying that Wudang has five scenic spots, of which Golden Hall is the main one. It is also a world cultural heritage site with around 286,000 visitors annually, not counting children and the elderly, who get in free of charge.

Golden Hall is 1,000 meters above sea level and has frequently changing weather conditions, often damp with snow and rain in the cold months. And, because the structure is made of wood, the repair work has to be repeated frequently, and it is extremely heavy work. However, there is a serious shortage of funds and the cost of building materials and labors have gone up while transport condition is difficult.

Proposed solutions

A: Ticket price will be raised to 30 yuan per person to help cover building repair costs and to keep the number of visitors at a reasonable level.

B: Ticket price will be raised to 27 yuan per person, in accordance with a national price bureau ruling that says any increase in tickets priced below 50 yuan, can not be more than 35 percent.

Response

Most of the 17 representatives agreed on a price increase, with 11 of them in favor of proposal A, one for proposal B, four refusing both, and one abstaining. The four who disagreed with the proposals suggested that a flexible ticket price be set, meaning 25 yuan in the slack season and 30 yuan in the busy season.