In China, one of the country's most famous scenic wonders, Mount Huangshan, has held a public hearing on raising the price of its entrance ticket. Although most of those who attended the hearing opted for the price hike, they remained divided over how much.

Chaired by the director of the Huangshan City Pricing Control Bureau, the hearing was attended by the management committee of the Mount Huangshan park, the Huangshan City Pricing Appraisal Center, as well consumers and experts.

The park's management committee has applied for the price hike to raise more money for the protection of the mountain, prized as one of China's most beautiful scenic spots. Huangshan is also listed by the UN as a world natural and cultural heritage site. The management wants to increase the entrance fee from the current 139 yuan to 248 yuan in the busy season, and from 85 to 198 yuan in the slack season. That's a jump of up to 13 US dollars.

During the hearing, the price appraisal center suggested a 69 percent price increase in the busy season to 220 yuan, and a 52 percent increase in the slack season to 135 yuan.

But most of the other attendees were for a lower hike of between 30 to 50 percent. Some supported this lower hike by pointing to the mountain's outdated tourism facilities and poor management. Others said that tourists would not be able to pay the entrance fee if it was too high, resulting in a big fall in the numbers of visitors.

The hearing lasted for four hours, but no decision was made.

Hu Yongqi, director of Pricing Control Bureau, Huangshan City, said, "Today's hearing was quite a success. A wide range of opinions and ideas were brought to the table. We'll announce our final decision as soon as possible after we've looked at all the suggestions and considered what's best for the sustainable development of Mount Huangshan."

The Mount Huangshan Park covers 72 peaks and lies in the south of East China's Anhui province. It's famous for its spectacular rocky peaks, twisted pines, crystal-clear mountain springs, and magnificent cloud scopes.

(Source: CCTV)