Some of Beijing's most popular tourist attractions are becoming more accessible as the city woos athletes and visitors to the Paralympic Games and fulfills its pledge to make life easier for its estimated 1 million disabled citizens.

"We've seen more disabled people shopping here recently, because the Paralympics is taking place," says Zhu Maimai, a saleswoman at the Silk Street Market in Beijing.

The popular clothes market now has a 160-meter blind-guide road leading to the entrance and 16 parking slots for handicapped shoppers.

Zhu says that salespeople have been trained to give considerate - but not too intense - service to disabled customers because too much attention can make them feel uncomfortable.

"We also have receptionists at the service desk who can use sign language to help hearing impaired people shop more easily," says Wang Zili, the market's general manager.

Handicapped access to Beijing's most famous part of the Great Wall, Badaling, includes two lifts and a wheelchair ramp that allows disabled visitors to see one of the best views from the man-made wonder.

In the 600-year-old Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, a 1,000-meter long barrier-free pathway allows visitors in wheelchairs to go down the central axis of the palace.

Elevators have been installed in three main buildings in the imperial palace so handicapped visitors don't have to climb the 30 steps for a bird's eye view.

For the past few years, the municipal government has invested about 67 million yuan for barrier-free facilities in 60 tourist attractions with 12,028 sq m of wheelchair ramps and 3,183 meters of handrails.

Tang Xiaoquan, executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), says that the work on barrier-free facilities enables disabled people from home and abroad to learn more about the social progress of Beijing.

Tang, who is also a senior official of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, says that Beijing will add 16 bus routes leading to the Games venues, and put 400 disabled-access buses in use during the September 6-17 Games, which will draw about 4,000 disabled athletes from around the world to compete.