Shanghai political advisers put safety first

Visitors numbers at Shanghai Disneyland will be kept within a "safe" level, its operator said yesterday.

"Our ticketing system has a preset daily admission limit. Once that is reached, no one will be allowed to enter until it drops again," said Chen Chao, a political adviser and senior official at Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone, which manages the theme park.

Chen was speaking at the opening session of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the city's political advisory body.

Her comments came amid heightened awareness of public safety issues following the New Year's Eve tragedy on the Bund in which 36 people were killed and 49 were injured.

Several public events have already been canceled as a result of the incident, while venues have introduced measures to keep visitor numbers down.

At Longhua Temple in the city's Xuhui District, the ticket price on the eve of the Spring Festival has been doubled to 600 yuan (US$96).

Many people visit the temple, which is one of the largest and oldest in Shanghai, to pray for good fortune in the year ahead.

The venue said the move was made to deter visitors, though it didn't say if it would actually limit the number of people it allows through its gates.

At the City God Temple in Yuyuan Garden, entry will be closely monitored during the holiday period in order to prevent overcrowding, said Ji Hongzhong, director of its management committee.

"Ticket sales might even be halted if visitor numbers surpass the set limit," said Ji, who is also a member of the CPPCC Shanghai committee.

Also at yesterday's opening session, members heard that the continued development of the city's pilot free trade zone will remain a priority for the political advisory body.

"The CPPCC Shanghai committee will continue to pay close attention to the city's economic and social development, including the ongoing reforms in the FTZ," said Wu Zhiming, the committee's chairman.

Last year, advisers submitted more than 40 proposals and reported on 140 items of public concern relating to the Shanghai free trade zone, which opened in 2013 as a test bed for the country's drive toward market-oriented economic reform, Wu said.

Other tasks highlighted at the session included assisting the government in drawing up its 13th five-year plan (2016-20), promoting the development of a consultative democracy system and assisting in the reform of public hospitals.

The meeting also reported on how the proposals submitted by political advisers last year have been handled.

A total of 966 proposals, covering everything from food safety and the environment, to culture and the economy, were submitted. Of those, 929 have been processed and 727 having been resolved or adopted, the meeting said. A further 65 are slated for resolution, while 137 will be kept on file as reference material for related institutions, the CPPCC members heard.

A total of 122 proposals focused on green issues, including how to improve the environmental protection law and raising water quality standards.

The Shanghai People's Congress, the city's legislative body, will hold its opening ceremony today.

Each of the annual conferences of the CPPCC Shanghai committee and the SPC — often referred to as the "Two Sessions" — runs for five days.