BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Around 100 museums in Beijing will be open for free on May 18, International Museum Day, including 17 museums that charge visitors usually.

According to the municipal administration of cultural heritage, among the museums that will stop charging on that day are the Geological Museum of China, the Beijing Planetarium and the Zhoukoudian Site Museum.

Over 90 activities, such as exhibitions and lectures, will be launched in the city's museums to celebrate the day. Currently there are 179 museums in Beijing.

The administration will open a webpage on May 18, offering chances for people to have a virtual museum experience, through texts, pictures and video.

Yu Ping, deputy head of the administration, said the activities were aimed at inviting more people to museums, and making museums more popular among citizens.