Band 8+: The graph below shows the number of visitors to three museums between 2000 and 2005. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar chart illustrates the number of people visiting three museums (namely the MET in New York, the Edo Museum in Tokyo, and the Chinese National Museum) over a five-year period between 2000 and 2005.

Overall, what stands out from the graph is that the number of people interested in visiting the National Museum of China increased steadily, whereas the figure for annual visitors to the MET Museum in New York and the Edo-Tokyo Museum fluctuated by dipping up and down. Another interesting point is that in 2000, the Edo-Tokyo Museum was the most popular; however, in 2005, the National Museum in China overcame other institutions.

Concerning the Edo-Tokyo Museum, it is evident that it was the most favoured museum in the first half of the period. It started with approximately 13 million visitors in 2000, with this being the peak level of its visitors during the whole period. Having stagnated for the next year, it led to the figures plummeting to nearly 10 million visitors in 2002, and further decreasing to around 6 million in 2003. Despite facing a gradual downward trend from 2002 to 2003, it then increased moderately in 2003, attracting 8 million visitors. Subsequently, it continued to increase steadily in the next two years. With respect to the MET Museum in New York, a similar fluctuating tendency was prominent here. It started with 12 million attendants annually, only to be later halved to 6 million in 2001. Having remained stable at 6 million visitors, the attendance rate then rose gradually in 2003. Henceforward, it continued to go up considerably in the next two years until reaching 14 million visitors in 2005, making it the peak level of attendance of the MET Museum in New York.

By contrast, the National Museum in China started at the lowest rates of 6 million people annually, and after that, there was a slight rise to almost eight million visitors in 2001. Following this, the figure increased negligibly in the next two years, reaching 11 million people who visited the Museum in 2003. Having remained stable at 11 million visitors during the next year, the popularity of the Museum then rose sharply in 2005. This meant that the Chinese National Museum had the highest attendance rate of the three museums in that year.