Guangzhou may have its first wax museum this June to honor the city's historical celebrities.

The museum will be located in Wuxian Guan.

The city will allocate 9 million yuan (US$1.08 million) for the museum, to be located in the 600-year-old Wuxian Guan.

Residents are invited to a free exhibition next week featuring the life stories of 109 candidates. The residents will vote for their favorites and the winners will be given a place in the city's pantheon.

Unlike the famous Madame Tussaud wax museum, living persons will not be included. The candidates either were born in Guangzhou or contributed to the richness of the city's culture after settling here.

The long list of names includes 32 ancient celebrities, 71 from the recent history and six top scholars in past dynasties. Among them were famous figures like Southern Yue King Zhao Tuo, Han minister Lu Gu, Tang essayist Han Yu, Song poet Su Shi, revolutionist Sun Yat-sen, novelist Lu Xun, Peking University president Chen Yinque and violinist Ma Sicong.

Also, there were some unfamiliar names like Qin commander Ren Xiao who ruled the region after conquering the ethnic minorities.

The city's authorities did not rule out the possibility of building copper statues, because wax figures could be much more expensive and the program's budget was already finalized.

Editor: Catherine