As one of the first “National Class” museums, the Beilin Museum in Xi’an is a must-visit destination for many tourists in Xi’an. Recently, the museum announced that the ticket price has been adjusted from 10 yuan per person to 85 yuan per person, sparking public discussion and hitting the hot search list.
On May 6, the Xi’an Beilin Museum issued a public notice on the full opening of ticket prices, indicating that starting from May 12 this year, except for policy exemptions, the ticket prices are now uniformly set at 85 yuan per person for all seasons, with a half-price of 42 yuan per person, to be implemented for a period of two years.
According to the official website of the Beilin Museum, the current museum ticket prices are uniform for all seasons and currently implemented at a discounted rate of 10 yuan per person.
Local media reports stated that the staff of the Beilin Museum explained that the original ticket price was 65 yuan per person, and the current 10 yuan per person ticket price is a discounted ticket during the museum’s expansion period. With the recent completion of the museum’s expansion, the ticket price for the expanded and complete museum area will be 85 yuan per person.
A visitor, Ms. Chen, expressed that during her visit to Xi’an in the past few days, she had been to several museums that were free. If the Beilin Museum charges 85 yuan per person for entry, it would be difficult for people to justify paying for it.
According to a report by The Beijing News, the Xi’an Beilin Museum may have faced relatively high cost pressures, leading to a significant adjustment in ticket prices. Currently, with the primary focus on fiscal support and ticket income as secondary in the non-profit positioning, has become the basic logic for the development of China’s museum industry. Therefore, the public’s lack of understanding and even questioning of the price adjustment is understandable. In March 2025, the Xi’an Beilin Museum was included in the list of state-owned non-profit collecting units (first batch). In this context, the Beilin Museum in Xi’an is attempting to alleviate financial pressures and cover construction and development costs through a ticket price increase. However, from the perspective of the public, it is clearly difficult to reach a consensus.
This topic has sparked discussions online, with netizens expressing various opinions.
A Baidu user, 502e163, commented: “Charging 85 yuan, the rich don’t care.”
Emotional expert Tianya Xiaoyao said: “Public museums funded by the government should offer regular exhibitions for free and should not charge entry fees. Temporary exhibitions beyond the regular displays could charge fees. This fee structure can follow that of the National Museum. Do not use expansion or renovation as reasons for fees. After all, expansion and renovations are funded by public money, which comes from taxes.”
Another user commented: “These historical and cultural sites, museums, and natural tourist attractions should be free to visit or charge minimal fees, at least not for profit purposes.”
Some visitors, however, expressed understanding towards the increase in ticket prices.
Controversies arising from the price hikes in museum attractions are not uncommon. On August 31, 2023, Sichuan officials announced their plan to adjust the ticket prices for the Sanxingdui Ancient Shu Culture Site Museum from 72 yuan per person to 120 yuan per person, sparking intense discussions among the public. Currently, the Sanxingdui site still charges tickets at the price of 72 yuan per person according to the official website.