SHIJIAZHUANG, May 21 -- Local government in north China's Hebei Province has waived admission fees for a scenic road, less than a month after the charges were introduced.

Starting May 1, drivers and passengers were charged 50 yuan (7.7 U.S. dollars) each to travel the road connecting a prairie area in Zhangbei County and Chongli, a ski venue for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in the city of Zhangjiakou.

The Zhangbei government said earlier that the fees were collected to cover the costs of cleaning and infrastructure construction and maintenance to better protect the environment.

Chinese law forbids tolls for roads other than expressways, but the government said the 50 yuan was a sightseeing admission charge, not a toll fee.

The road is known as "Caoyuan tianlu" in Chinese, which translates as "the prairie road to paradise." Stretching 132 km, it has attracted many sightseers in recent years as stunning landscape photos taken from the road have spread online.

The controversial admission fee put the government under fire since it was introduced

In response to public concern, the local government decided to eliminate the charge beginning May 23.