CIRCULAR JOINTLY ISSUED BY THE GENERAL OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL AND THE GENERAL OFFICE OF THE CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION FOR TRANSMITTING THE REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS SUBMITTED BY THE STATE PHYSICAL CULTURE AND SPORTS

    Since 1979, China has, upon approval by the State Council, gradually
opened some mountains to the outside world and has received nearly 400 groups
and teams of foreigners who have been to China for mountaineering or tourist
activities. The opening of some mountains has put an end to the state of
estrangement in China’s mountaineering, strengthened the contact between the
Chinese and the international mountaineering circles, intensified the exchange
of mountaineering techniques, and promoted the development of China’s
mountaineering undertakings and tourist industry. However, in the work of
various localities to receive foreign mountaineering groups and teams coming
to China, there exists in varying degrees the tendency of treating the
administration of open mountains as a purely commercial operation, which has
resulted in confusions in such aspects as management system, liaison with
foreign countries, opening of more mountains and service standards. All these
problems call for immediate solution.

    The opening and administration of China’s mountains, especially of those
high mountains situated in the border regions, involve the various aspects of
political, military and diplomatic affairs and require strengthened,
centralized leadership. The various localities, therefore, in addition to
continuing to implement the relevant provisions of the Request for
Instructions Concerning the Opening of Mountains for International
Mountaineering Activities, which has submitted by the State Physical Culture
and Sports Commission and the National Tourism Administration on September 20,
1979 and which has been approved by the State Council, shall comply with the
following provisions:

    1. The opening of any more mountain to the outside world shall be
considered along with the opening of the city or county where the mountain is
located, and shall, with the consent of the people’s government of the
province or autonomous region and the Military Region concerned, be reported
to the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission which shalll announce it
to the outside world after examination and approval after consultation with
the Headquarters of the General Staff of PLA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the National Tourism Administration. In the absence of the approval by the
aforesaid competent central authorities, no locality may make unauthorized
announcement of the opening of any more mountain.

    2. From now on, with respect to foreign groups and teams coming to China
for such activities as mountaineering, exploration or rock climbing which fall
within the scope of physical culture and sports, the acceptance of their
applications, the arrangement of their plans and itineraries, the signing of
agreements, the issuing of letters or telegrams of invitation and the issuing
of letters or telegrams on matters of visas shall all be submitted for unified
handling to the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission (under the name
of the Chinese Mountaineering Association). For tourist activities in the
mountains, however, the National Tourism Administration shall be responsible
for unified arrangements.

    3. The standards of tourist service charges for cities where the open
mountains are located shall be determined by the State Physical Culture and
Sports Commission in accordance with the pertinent State policies and in
consultation with the National Tourism Administration, the State Adminstration
of Commodity Prices and other departments concerned and shall be implemented
in a unified way. Without permission, no localities may undertake unauthorized
pricing or make unauthorized price readjustments. The revenue derived from the
open mountains shall mainly be used for the development of China’s
mountaineering undertakings. Guarantees shall be made in respect of the
management system to avoid turning the opening of mountains into utterly
commercialized operations.

    4. If foreign groups and teams coming to China for mountaineering,
exploration, rock climbing or competition (including those coming to China for
tourist purposes in the mountains) are also entrusted with tasks of scientific
survey, the host units shall, while applying for the mountaineering permit,
simultaneously submit the subject(s) of the survey and the limits of areas in
which to conduct the survey to the State Physical Culture and Sports
Commission for examination and approval in consultation with the Chinese
Academy of Sciences and the Headquarters of the General Staff of PLA. The
Chinese Academy of Sciences may, depending on the circumstances, directly send
their own personnel or entrust a proper department to send personnel to the
mountain areas to exercise supervision over the foreign groups or teams. It is
imperative to implement strictly the various provisions of the Request for
Instructions Concerning the Opening of Mountains for International
Mountaineering Activities submitted by the State Physical Culture and Sports
Commission and the National Tourism Association on September 20, 1979 and of
its annexes (Note (1)).

    The State Physical Culture and Sports Commission shall, in accordance with
the aforestated principles, conduct a general examination of administration
of the mountains already open to the outside world in conjunction with the
Headquarters of the General Staff of PLA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
National Tourism Admimstration and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Cases
involving mountains that have been opened to the outside world without
permission shall be dealt with in accordance with their respective
circumstances.

    (1) The relevant annexes of the Request for Instructions Concerning the
Opening of Mountains for International Mountaineering Activities submitted by
the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission and the National Tourism
Administration on September 20, 1979, i.e. the Provisions Concerning Foreign
Mountaineering Groups Coming to China for Mountaineering (for Trial
Implementation) and the Measures for Charging Fees from Foreign Mountaineering
Groups Coming to China for Mountaineering (for Trial Implementation), have
become invalid. In effect now are the Provisions Concerning Foreign
Mountaineering Groups or Mountaineering and Tourist Groups Coming to China
for Mountaineering promulgated by the State Physical Culture and Sports
Commission on January 14, 1981 and the Measures for Charging Fees from Foreign
Mountaineering Groups or Mountaineering and Tourist Groups Coming to China for
mountaineering, promulgated by the Chinese Mountaineering Association on
January 1, 1987 – The Editor.