Reservations required for China Art Museum

The local culture and entertainment authority reminded residents Tuesday to make reservations before visiting the two new museums at the former Expo Park in Pudong New Area as it expects large crowds over the upcoming National Day holiday.

The two museums, the China Art Museum and the Power Station of Art, will open to the public on October 1, in the midst of a national holiday that lasts until October 7.

"Because we expect large crowds during the National Day holiday, it is necessary to limit the number of visitors to ensure a good experience," Hu Jinjun, head of the Shanghai Municipal Culture, Radio Broadcasting, Film and Television Administration, said at a press conference Tuesday.

The agency predicted that the China Art Museum will receive 10,000 visitors each day during the holiday, while the Power Station of Art will get about 6,000 visitors a day. Visitors without reservations will be turned away, Hu said.

About 14,000 tickets to the China Art Museum are still available for the period and 42,000 tickets are available for the Power Station of Art, according to an agency press release. The local government has been distributing 56,000 tickets to the China Art Museum through local neighborhood committees.

To make reservations to either museum, those interested can visit artshow.eastday.com from 10 am to 8 pm until Friday. Expatriates need to provide a passport number to book a reservation. Visitors must then take the reservation receipt to one of the city's 10 major art museums or theaters to exchange it for a ticket.

As of Tuesday evening, the reservation website was only available in Chinese.

Visitors will still have to make reservations after the holiday, said Li Lei, an official in charge of the museums' preparatory works.

The two museums will be open from 9 am to 5 pm every day except Monday. Although admission is free, some exhibits such as the animated version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival cost up to 20 yuan ($3.20) extra per person, according to the press release.

To help deal with the expected increase in traffic, the China Art Museum Station on metro Line 8 will open on Friday. A new bus line that runs between the two museums and subway stations will also open in a few days, said Wang Jianjun, an official with the city's transportation authority.