CRI听力:Selfie Sticks Meet with Ban in Museums

Reporter: Selfie sticks are simply an extendable stick which you place your mobile device or camera on so that you can take pictures of yourself from a distance.

They have become a world-wide trend for tourists.

US President Barack Obama recently employed a selfie-stick while shooting a healthcare campaign video last month.

Here in China, their popularity is growing as well.

Chinese journalists covering the two-sessions in Beijing employed them to film both themselves and the officials they were interviewing.

But while somewhat practical, concerns are being raised by public venues which contain valuables, such as museums.

A number of world famous tourist sites, including Rome's Colosseum and the Versailles Palace in Paris, have banned selfie sticks, saying they pose a threat to the exhibits, as well as to other visitors inside the museum.

Museums in the UK and Washington have taken it a step further, not only banning them, but threatening to hit people caught using them with fines.

Here in China, the concern about selfie sticks hasn't reached that level yet.

Officials in-charge of the Forbidden City are asking visitors not to use the selfie sticks in crowded areas or inside exhibition halls.

However, there is no outright ban on them.

The same philosophy is being employed at museums in Shanghai as well.

Liu Jie is an official with Power Station of Art in downtown Shanghai.

"We believe that our visitors are well-educated and they won't destroy the exhibits with the sticks. But we are asking our security guards and staff members in the gallery to pay extra attention to those people with selfie sticks and offer polite warnings."

To date, none of Shanghai's major tourist attractions have announced a ban on selfie sticks.

However, some tourists in Shanghai say an outright ban on them might be justified.

"I think if you are in an art venue, they should be banned, because it can damage the art and is distracting for other people."

For vendors who cater to tourists, a ban on selfie sticks would certainly hurt business.

Some vendors in Shanghai who are selling selfie sticks for around 50 yuan each say they're selling a few hundred of them every day.

For CRI, I am Xie Cheng.