.

Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Rao Quan, vice minister of culture and tourism

Zhou Hanping, senior official of the Department of Art, Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT)

Chen Binbin, senior official of the Department of Public Services, MCT

Wang Chenyang, director-general of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, MCT

Miao Muyang, director-general of the Department of Industrial Development, MCT

Jin Ruiguo, director-general of the Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations, National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA)

Chairperson:

Xing Huina, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee

Date:

Aug. 24, 2022

Xing Huina:

Friends from the media, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Today, we are holding the 23rd press conference under the theme of "China in the past decade" to brief you on the high-quality development of culture and tourism in the new era, and to take your questions. Today, we are joined by Mr. Rao Quan, vice minister of culture and tourism; Ms. Zhou Hanping, a senior official from the Department of Art, MCT; Mr. Chen Binbin, a senior official from the Department of Public Services, MCT; Mr. Wang Chenyang, director-general of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage, MCT; Mr. Miao Muyang, director-general of the Department of Industrial Development, MCT; and Mr. Jin Ruiguo, director-general of the Department of Policies, Laws and Regulations, NCHA.

Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Rao Quan for his introduction.

Rao Quan:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. I'd like to express my gratitude to you for your interest in and support for the development of culture and tourism. I am very pleased to have the opportunity today to brief you on developments in culture, tourism and cultural relics.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the development of culture and tourism. With great care for the field, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of important expositions and instructions, bringing about historic achievements and transformations in culture and tourism. Over the past decade, keeping in mind the missions and tasks of holding high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uniting the people, cultivating the younger generation, boosting culture and presenting a good image, we have continuously developed tourism through culture and displayed cultural developments through tourism. We have promoted the prosperous development of cultural undertakings and cultural and tourism industries, leading to new landscapes in this regard. Culture has played a visible role in nurturing spirit and empowerment, and tourism has played a salient role in benefiting the people and driving economic growth. The influence of Chinese culture has continued to rise, which has laid a solid foundation for accelerating the development of a great socialist culture in China and creating new splendor for Chinese culture.

First, artistic creation has continued to flourish to meet people's cultural needs, and at the same time provide them with a stronger source of inspiration. We have continued to improve the work mechanism with creation as the core task and performances as the key link, implemented projects to support national fine stage art creations and art production series for a new era, and actively built an artistic creation system for a new era. Major cultural and artistic performances and productions including "The Great Journey," "Strive Forward, Sons and Daughters of the Chinese Nation" and "Our Four Decades" have conveyed the mainstream of the times and written a splendid chapter of the new era. We have enhanced support via the China National Arts Fund and given play to the driving role of various cultural and artistic awards, performances and exhibitions. We have organized and broadcast performances, integrating both online and offline channels. As a result, many outstanding works have continued to emerge and have gained wider popularity. The dance drama "The Eternal Wave," the poetic dance "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting," the opera "Yimeng Mountain," the drama "Gu Wenchang" and other cultural and artistic works have been widely praised, and we are constantly making strides toward the "artistic summit."

Second, the modern public cultural service system has been steadily improved to promote spiritual enrichment for all. The Law on Guaranteeing Public Cultural Services', Law on Public Libraries, Regulations on Museums, and National Standards for Guiding Basic Public Cultural Services were promulgated successively, effectively protecting the public's basic cultural rights and interests. We have actively built a public cultural service network covering six levels from the state to villages and communities. By the end of 2021, China had 3,215 public libraries, 3,316 cultural centers, 40,200 cultural stations and 575,400 comprehensive cultural service centers at the village level. All public libraries, cultural centers and stations, art galleries and 91% of museums are free to visit. Projects benefiting the people, such as "Bringing Opera to the Countryside," have been further conducted, and brand cultural activities like "Village Spring Festival Gala" have been widely carried out, making people's cultural lives richer and more colorful. The construction of a smart library system and online, digital public culture has been accelerated, and new public cultural spaces are constantly emerging. People have access to cultural services online at their fingertips, which has made public cultural services more convenient and more targeted. 

Third, industrial development has gained momentum, and innovation and creativity have been booming. The culture and tourism industry system has been gradually improved, with the system of standards constantly being refined and industrial scale consistently growing. In 2019, the added value of culture and related industries reached 4.44 trillion yuan, and that of tourism and related industries reached 4.5 trillion yuan, accounting for 4.5% and 4.56% of GDP, respectively. The digital culture industry has developed rapidly, and new business forms including online exhibitions, online broadcasting, internet livestreaming and immersive experiences have emerged at a faster pace. Mass tourism and smart tourism have continued to develop. Self-drive tours, camping tours, ice and snow tours, health care tours and marine tours have been leading new trends in leisure and vacation. Cultural creativity, intangible cultural heritage workshops and rural tourism have continued boosting rural revitalization. Visits to historical sites with revolutionary legacies and tourism-related artistic performances have flourished, and culture and tourism have become more integrated. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the culture and tourism industries have been seriously impacted. We have made practical efforts to ease the difficulties of enterprises, who have also proactively sought to save themselves rather than "lying flat," which has boosted the confidence of the culture and tourism industries and promoted their steady development.

Fourth, we have achieved remarkable results in protecting, inheriting and carrying forward our cultural heritage, and promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. We have gradually become clear about the status quo of cultural heritage resources. By the end of 2021, we had 108 million pieces or sets of state-owned movable cultural relics, 767,000 immovable cultural relics, 5,058 cultural relic units under key national protection, and 6,183 museums on record. By the end of 2021, we had more than 100,000 representative items of intangible cultural heritage at all levels, including 1,557 at the national level. There were more than 90,000 representative inheritors at various levels, including 3,062 at the national level. We had 13,026 national rare ancient books and 203 ancient book units under key national protection. We had 56 world heritage sites, ranking second in the world; and we had 42 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List and Register, ranking first in the world. We have fully rolled out projects exploring the origin of Chinese civilization, protecting cultural relics, as well as protecting and utilizing cultural relics with revolutionary legacies. We have carried out the major "Archaeology in China" project and implemented plans to protect ancient Chinese books and revitalize traditional Chinese crafts. Steady progress has been made in the construction of national cultural parks for the Great Wall, Grand Canal, Red Army's Long March, Yellow River and Yangtze River. The recovery and return of cultural relics lost overseas has yielded fruitful results, with more than 1,800 pieces or sets of lost cultural relics returning to the motherland. Cultural heritage has been further brought to life, with enthusiasm for archaeology, museums, intangible cultural heritage and ancient books thriving. Chinese styles have become new fashion trends among young people.

Fifth, we have carried out in-depth exchanges and cooperation with other countries, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and the cultural and tourism fields have further opened to the outside world. An all-around, multi-level and wide-ranging international exchange and cooperation pattern in the cultural and tourism sector has been gradually established. We have hosted a series of major cultural events that coincided with the head-of-state diplomacy and several major diplomatic events such as the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. We have also sped up the efforts to build Chinese cultural centers overseas. We have set up overseas cultural and tourism agencies in 93 countries and signed inter-governmental cultural and tourism cooperation treaties with 157 countries. We have taken an active part in the development of international rules on this front. The system for international trade in culture has gradually improved, and core cultural products and services have been introduced to the outside world, with their export growing rapidly. The culture year and tourism year (festival), as well as some signature events such as "Happy Spring Festival" and "Beautiful China," have great influence and have greatly contributed to the image of China as a trustworthy, lovable, and admirable country. We have also made great efforts to promote culture and tourism in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and launched a series of cultural and artistic events with patriotic themes to increase cohesion and mutual understanding among the Chinese people.

These achievements are attributed to the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, as well as the concerted efforts of people working in the culture and tourism field. We will continue to learn important statements made by General Secretary Xi Jinping related to culture and tourism, follow the new development philosophy in the new development stage, serve and integrate into the new development paradigm, and promote the high-quality development of culture and tourism to further contribute to developing a strong socialist culture in China. 

Now, my colleagues and I are ready to answer your questions.

Xing Huina:

Thank you, Mr. Rao, for your introduction. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before raising your questions.

China Central Television:

In recent years, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have consistently deepened reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, and strengthen services and coordinated the efforts in the reform of the government review and approval system as well as the business system. In terms of the cultural and tourism field, what has been done to deepen the reform to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation and strengthen services to energize market entities and build a market-based and law-based international business environment? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Thanks for your question. I'll take this question. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the decision and deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, we have deepened these reforms in the culture and tourism sector. By giving play to the roles of both the government and the market, we have taken a series of reform measures to separate permits and certificates from business licenses, accelerate the building of the system for ongoing and ex-post oversight to energize the culture and tourism market, speed up the transformation and upgrade of market entities and promote order and prosperity of the market system. By the end of 2021, there were 191,000 cultural companies nationwide, which employed 1,511,400 people. There were 16,000 art troupes, up by 123.2% compared with 2012. They gave 2,325,000 performances last year, attracting a total of 930 million audience members; the online music market was valued at 62.69 billion yuan ($9.15 billion), or 13.8 times that of 2012; there were 42,000 travel agencies throughout the country last year, compared to 25,000 in 2012. Our work is mainly as follows:

First, intensify efforts to streamline administration and delegate powers. We have delegated the approval of commercial Internet cultural organizations and foreign-related commercial performances to the provincial cultural and tourism administrative departments and delegate the approval of travel agencies invested and established by Hong Kong and Macao companies in the pilot free trade zones to the administrative departments of the free trade zones to provide convenience for companies to go through procedures nearby. Moreover, we have also canceled several administrative approval items like the temporary tour guide.

Second, comprehensively improve the service related to business approval. We have lifted the restrictions on foreign investment in internet services venues, entertainment venues, performance brokerage agencies, and performance companies. In areas such as the pilot free trade zones, notification commitments are implemented for the establishment of travel agencies. The time it takes for approval of the import and export of fine art has been reduced from 20 working days to no more than 13 working days; we have also streamlined the approval procedures for cross-regional performance tours to relieve pressure on companies. We have established a national cultural market technology supervision and service platform and the national service platform for tourism oversight and introduced online approval of all procedures related to access management.

Third, introduce a new model of oversight. We have established and improved the new regulatory mechanism featuring the random selection of both inspectors and inspection targets, the prompt release of results, and the Internet Plus Oversight initiative, focusing on key targets and credit supervision. We have introduced the tourism service quality supervision policy, published the culture and tourism market credit management regulation, and launched special campaigns to regulate the cultural and entertainment sector and address unreasonable low-cost travel to promote the high-quality and diversified development of the cultural and tourism market. With the emergence of new business modes like online tourism, tourist accommodation, online performances, and script entertainment, we have introduced the provisional regulations on the management of online tourism business and strengthened the management of script entertainment venues, drawing a red line to promote the sustainable development of the industry.

Moreover, we have continued to deepen the reform on law enforcement of the cultural market and integrated and organized a comprehensive law enforcement team that fulfills their duties in six sectors, including culture, cultural relics, publications, radio and television, movies, and tourism under the deployment of the central government. As we continue to improve the system and strengthen team building, our law enforcement, with the aid of new internet technologies, has become more standardized and professional. To make our law enforcement more effective and efficient, we have firmly followed a people-centered principle, conscientiously fulfilling the law enforcement and supervision duties, ensuring that law enforcement is strict, procedure-based, impartial, and civil, carrying out special campaigns to address the problems and guarantee epidemic prevention and control, workplace safety, and market order. These efforts are aimed at ensuring stability in the culture and tourism market.

That's all for my answer to your questions. 

Southern Metropolis Daily:

The development of the cultural and tourism industry is closely related to people's well-being. What has the MCT done to promote the high-quality development of the cultural and tourism industry, and what progress has the ministry made in this respect? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

The development of the cultural and tourism industries has drawn wide attention. Let's invite Mr. Miao Muyang from the Industrial Development Department of the MCT to answer this question.

Miao Muyang:

Thank you for your question. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China's cultural and tourism industries have been a new driver and engine for economic development. They have played an essential role in promoting transformation, upgrading, high-quality national economy development, and meeting people's needs for a better life. The cultural and tourism industries have flourished in the past decade. 

First, the industries have grown with a larger number of market entities. As Mr. Rao introduced just now, the value added by China's cultural and related industries and by the tourism and associated industries in 2019 were 4,436.3 billion yuan and 4,498.9 billion yuan, respectively, accounting for 4.5% and 4.56% of GDP, respectively. The number of China's cultural firms above the designated size grew from 36,000 to 65,000 in the past decade. Their total annual revenue more than doubled from 5.6 trillion yuan to 11.9 trillion yuan. By the end of 2021, China had 42,000 travel agencies, 14,000 A-level scenic spots, and 8,771 star-rated hotels. The cultural and tourism industries have been strong drivers of economic development.

Second, the supply of products has diversified as industrial integration has stimulated consumption. Digital technologies, including 5G, big data, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, and ultra-high definition, have seen more comprehensive applications in the cultural and tourism industries. New forms such as online broadcasting, digital art, and immersive experiences have developed at a fast pace. Several digital artworks with distinctive Chinese features, such as "Big Fish and Begonia" and "Dancing into Spring," have sprouted up. Strong impetus has been injected into the integrated development of the cultural and tourism industries, related products and markets, resulting in booming development of tourism performance, red tourism, village tourism, and cultural heritage tourism. A total of 15 cities were listed as national model cities for cultural and tourism consumption, 115 cities as national pilot cities for culture and tourism consumption, and 243 zones as national night culture and tourism consumption clusters. A promising future has been entailed by the integration of cultural and tourism industries.

Third, industrial investment and financing systems have been improved with fruitful results in foreign trade. As the industry has seen a great variety of investors, the total investment has expanded with more robust support from policy-related and developmental financial instruments. Policy tools such as cooperation between government and social capital and special local government bonds have been popularized and effectively applied in the cultural and tourism sectors. The import and export of cultural products has maintained a surplus for many years, and the inbound and outbound tourism has seen great development. China's volume in foreign cultural trade exceeded $200 billion for the first time of then 2021. Many excellent cultural and tourism firms have gone global as platforms such as cultural and tourism industrial expos are playing a more prominent role and the construction of national bases for international cultural trade is being advanced.

Fourth, more policies for easing the difficulties of businesses have been carried out to shield the industries from the impact of the pandemic. The MCT and relevant departments released Several Policies on Promoting the Recovery and Development of Service Industries in Difficulty and other policies to provide financial support in this regard and promoted the detailed implementation of policies on cutting taxes and fees and stabilizing employment. By doing so, the cultural and tourism firms' sense of gain has been more substantial. The cultural and tourism markets have recovered safely as opening policies of cultural and tourism sites were adjusted according to local conditions in epidemic prevention and control. the application range of the circuit-breaker mechanism for cross-provincial trips has been adjusted precisely to county level. Since the second half of 2022, the cultural and tourism markets have gained robust momentum to recover, demonstrating firms' resilience and the great efforts made by relevant personnel.

That's all for my answer. Thank you.

National Business Daily:

In recent years, visiting museums and cultural relics has become a trend among Chinese people, which reflects China's development in the sector of cultural relics. What achievements have been made in utilizing and protecting cultural relics in the past decade? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Work related to cultural relics has received public attention in recent years. Let's invite Mr. Jin Ruiguo from the NCHA to answer this question.

Jin Ruiguo:

Thank you for your question and your attention to cultural and museum undertakings. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached unprecedented importance to the protection and utilization of cultural relics and the preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage. The work related to cultural relics has realized historical achievements under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, with coordination among departments, efforts from local governments, broad participation of the society, and hard work from the personnel in the field of cultural relics.

First, people have gained a better awareness of protecting cultural relics. Philosophies have taken roots in people's minds, such as the primary role of protection, cultural relics protection counting as good political performance, and bringing cultural relics to life. The 19th CPC National Congress and the fifth and sixth plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee all made general plans to utilize and protect cultural relics, and the CPC Central Committee rolled out six relevant documents. For the first time, a national plan for the preservation of cultural relics and related technological innovation during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) has been issued. A total of 27 provincial governments have included cultural relics safety into their work assessment systems.

Second, efforts have been intensified to preserve cultural relics, which have been better protected. We conducted the country's' first census on moveable cultural artifacts and a survey about grotto temples. We released 5,058 major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level in two batches. The number of historical and cultural sites protected at the national, provincial, and municipal and county levels increased by 115%, 58%, and 88%, respectively. Major projects were finished to protect historical and cultural sites, including the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, the Silk Road, and traditional villages. With precaution and systematical protection, tens of thousands of cultural relics preserved by museums and unearthed were rescued and repaired. The long-term mechanism to ensure the safety of cultural relics has been improved as progress was made in cracking down on crimes and violations of laws related to cultural relics and fire prevention. In general, the safety of cultural relics has been better ensured.

Third, the reform of cultural relics museums has continued to advance, and their influence has greatly improved. A modern museum system with abundant genres, diverse subjects, and equal inclusive benefits has basically been formed. There are 6,183 registered museums nationwide, 91% of which are free of charge, and there's been an increase of 144% in annual exhibition, and a 119% increase in the number of visitors. Exhibitions such as "The Splendor of Asia," "The Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties," "Pursuing Eternity," and "The Making of Zhongguo" have become social and cultural hot topics. TV programs such as "National Treasure," "Every Treasure Tells a Story," "Chinese Archaeology Assembly," and "Gu Yun Xin Sheng (Ancient Rhymes' New Sound)" have ignited big and small screens. Visiting museums has become a new trend in society. The protection and utilization project for revolutionary cultural relics has been implemented in depth, helping poverty alleviation, revitalization of the old revolutionary base areas, and education on the history of Party, the country, the reform and opening up, and socialist development. The Museum of the Communist Party of China and the Memorial Hall for the CPC's Early Revolutionary Activities in Beijing were completed and opened. The NCHA supports and guides the private collection of cultural relics and optimizes inbound and outbound cultural relics supervision and cultural relics identification consulting services. To date, there are 56 World Heritage Sites in China. Sino-foreign joint archaeology is gradually increasing. Cross-border cultural relics protection cooperation has been solidly carried out. The exhibitions of inbound and outbound cultural relics are diverse, colorful, and splendid. There are frequent highlights in the recovery and return of lost cultural relics, with more than 1,800 pieces (sets) of lost cultural relics having been returned to the motherland from overseas. Cultural relics have become a "golden business card" for promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. 

Fourth, the management capacity of cultural relics has been continuously enhanced, and the management level has been continuously improved. The State Council promulgated the Museum Regulations and revised the Regulations Concerning the Protection and Management of Underwater Cultural Relics, while localities have issued more than 200 local regulations on the protection of cultural relics and 113 national and industrial standards in the field of cultural relic protection have also been issued and implemented. The scientific and technological innovation capability for cultural relics has been significantly improved. The technical level of protection of ancient murals, painted pottery cultural relics, water-saturated lacquer woodware, and the environmental monitoring and regulation of the preservation of cultural relics in museum collections have entered the world's top class. The system for cultivating cultural relics and museum talents has become more complete. Cultural relics and archaeology institutions are generally strengthened, and archaeological field allowances will be significantly increased.

Recently, the national conference on cultural heritage and relics was held in Beijing, putting forward the cultural relics work principle in the new era, which is "make protection the top priority, strengthen management, explore the value, make effective use, and make cultural relics come alive," and making clear the goals and tasks. Next, we will thoroughly study and implement the principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and instructions on cultural relics work, and implement the deployment of the national conference on cultural heritage and relics. Through vigorous and determined endeavors, we will work hard to promote the cultural relics cause to foster a new pattern and reach a new level, so that cultural relics and cultural heritages will bloom with new brilliance in the new era. Thank you.

Changjiang Daily:

In recent years, the tourism demands of the people have become more and more strong, and China's tourism industry has developed vigorously, with more and more products, more and more forms of business, and more and more comprehensive benefits. I would like to ask what new features and highlights have been shown in the development of China's tourism industry in the past decade? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Thank you for your question, I will answer it. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have thoroughly implemented the principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and promoted tourism to become an important indicator for improving people's living standards, an important vehicle for inheriting and enhancing Chinese culture, an important driving force for boosting economic growth, an important field for practicing the philosophy of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," and an important channel for strengthening foreign exchanges and cooperation and enhancing China's cultural soft power. Here I will elaborate on three highlights:

The first is rural tourism. In the past decade, the supply of rural tourism products has been continuously optimized, the infrastructure has been continuously improved, the service quality has been continuously enhanced, and the interest linkage mechanism with farmers as the main body has been continuously perfected. The comprehensive benefits of rural tourism in socio-economic development are constantly shown outstandingly. We have innovatively rolled out 1,299 key villages and towns for rural tourism across the country, created a number of essential rural tourism routes nationwide with rich connotations and distinctive themes, carried out the work to bring creativity to the countryside, and cultivated rural tourism cluster areas. Rural tourism has increasingly become a good way for people to experience idyllic scenery and heartwarming nostalgia, a new field to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and a new force for rural revitalization. According to estimates, in 2019, the number of rural tourism visits in China exceeded 3 billion. A number of impoverished villages, such as Shibadong Village in Hunan province and Huamao Village in Zunyi, Guizhou province, have achieved poverty alleviation and increased employment and income through tourism. Yucun Village in Zhejiang province and Xidi Village in Anhui province were selected by the UNWTO into the list of the best tourism villages in the world, becoming bright business cards showing the beautiful image of China.

The second is red tourism. In the past 10 years, the number of China's red tourism classic scenic spots has expanded from 100 to 300. They have formed a red tourism classic scenic spot system that comprehensively reflects the achievements of the period of the new-democratic revolution, the period of socialist revolution and construction, the period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and the period of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. We have introduced the 100 "excellent red tourism routes" to mark the centenary of CPC's founding. The red resources scattered across the vast land of China are being transformed into red scenic spots that can both entertain and educate the tourists, become an effective vehicle for Party members to carry out Party history study and education and strengthen Party spirit cultivation, and become a vivid classroom for officials and the common people, especially young people, to inherit the red gene and accept the cleansing of the red spirit. In recent years, the average annual growth rate of tourist visits for red tourism has exceeded 11%, reaching 1.41 billion visits in 2019.

The third is leisure tourism. In the past decade, we have actively adapted to the diverse needs of tourists and promoted the improvement of quality, efficiency, and transformation and upgrading of tourist attractions. The number of national 5A-level tourist attractions has increased from 144 in 2012 to 306 in 2021, and the proportion of medium and high-level scenic spots has increased significantly. We have innovatively rolled out 671 tourist resorts above the provincial level and more than 300 tourist and leisure streets and blocks above the provincial level, shaping various types of leisure products such as cultural tourism, eco-tourism, health tourism, industrial tourism, sports tourism, ski resorts tourism, and more to continuously meet the diversified and personalized leisure and vacation demands of the people.

Thank you.

Beijing Radio and Television Station:

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it would be best if a book or piece of art achieves not only success in being thoughtful and artistic but also success in the market. We have noticed the launch of a number of excellent plays in recent years which delivered both good social benefits and economic returns. Could you share achievements in this regard? Thank you. 

Rao Quan:

This is a question about literary and art creation. I'd like to invite Ms. Zhou Hanping from the art department to take it. 

Zhou Hanping:

Thank you for your attention and concern for stage art. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, acting upon the important remarks of General Secretary Xi Jinping on literature and art, we have put people at the center of all our work. We have set art creation and performance as the central task, and improved the mechanism for art creation and distribution to guide literature and art troupes to adopt innovative business practices, expand the market and launch good works that people could love. Achievements can be concluded in the following three aspects:

First, excellent works have come forth in large numbers, which depict the greatness of the new journey in the new era and nourish people's aesthetics and values. Embarking on the new journey in the new era, we have actively guided literary and artists to give an all-dimensional and panoramic presentation of the new ethos of the new era and set the satisfaction of the people as the highest criterion for art creation. A number of select artworks that meet people's intellectual and cultural needs and develop their outlooks have been produced. In addition to such major performances as "The Great Journey," we have also staged a number of other excellent plays. Among them, dance drama "The Eternal Wave" has been staged for 414 performances; "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" was performed 147 times in just one year; many other excellent works were also well received by audiences, such as opera performances "Yimeng Mountain" and "Ma Xiangyang Goes to Work in the Countryside," theater plays "Gu Wenchang" and "Liu Qing," Peking opera film "The Red Army Stories," and Guangxi's Cai Diao opera "Liu Sanjie (New)." These performances have generated both social benefits and economic returns.  

Second, we have carried forward and promoted the fine traditional culture of China through innovative art creation in the new era. Regarding the fine traditional culture of China as the source of art creation, we have produced a number of works deeply rooted in traditional culture. By integrating traditional elements with modern ones, and innovatively using new technologies and means to inspire originality and creativity, increase cultural connotations, and express thoughts and feelings, the fine traditional culture of China has continued to shimmer with charm in the new times. From the lasting popularity of the Kunqu opera show "The Peony Pavilion" and the film adaptation of the Cantonese opera show "The Legend of White Snake" to the growing appeal of the China Opera Gala (Kunshan), more and more excellent artworks with Chinese aesthetics, characteristics, and styles have become the trend of the times and smash hits in the market. Literary and artistic creation in the new era has shown greater depth and potential.  

Third, we have further reformed state-owned literature and art troupes so they can launch more good works, cultivate more talents and generate more returns. Acting upon the Opinions on Further Reforming State-owned Literature and Art Troupes of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, we have worked to set up a sustainable development mechanism to ensure the production of a great variety of plays and the cultivation of talents from generation to generation. We have encouraged literature and art troupes to embrace the market by staging more performances. According to a sampling survey among 400 art troupes in 2021, they staged over 60,000 performances and earned close to five billion yuan amid routine pandemic prevention and control. We have also made online presentations of offline art performances a regular practice to allow more people to enjoy art. For example, we presented the Spring Festival Special Edition of Art China to netizens through such online platforms as "Voice of Culture and Tourism" and "Art of China" and won wide applause from the public.  

I will stop here. Thank you. 

The Beijing News:

We have noticed that products of intangible cultural heritage have begun to enter people's lives in large numbers in recent years, and public knowledge and understanding of intangible cultural heritage has increased. What achievements has China made in promoting and protecting intangible cultural heritages since the 18th CPC National Congress? How do these achievements contribute to the inheritance and promotion of the fine traditional culture of China? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Just as you said, intangible cultural heritage is more and more becoming a part of modern life and glowing with new vitality. I'd like to invite Mr. Wang Chenyang from the department of intangible cultural heritage to answer your questions. 

Wang Chenyang:

Thank you for your questions. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritages. It has adopted a series of major plans and practical measures to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of intangible cultural heritage so they will shine with greater charm in the new era. 

First, preserving intangible cultural heritage has become an important aspect of retaining China's cultural roots and carrying forward the Chinese civilization. So far, over 100,000 representative projects of intangible cultural heritage have been launched at all levels, among which 1,557 are state-level ones. The number of representative inheritors at all levels has reached over 90,000, 3,062 of whom are state-level ones. And 23 state-level cultural ecology protection areas have been set up to carry out various initiatives, including ones to document intangible cultural heritages, renovate traditional crafts, cultivate inheritors, and inherit and develop folk art forms. So far, over 100,000 inheritors have been trained, and the momentum for inheriting intangible cultural heritages has been constantly boosted.

Second, intangible cultural heritage has become an important source for the Chinese nation in bolstering cultural confidence and forging a strong sense of community. A variety of intangible cultural heritage activities are held on traditional festivals and Cultural and Natural Heritage Day in various places, and have created a stronger sense of passion among the whole of society for our fine traditional Chinese culture. The 24 solar terms performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics showed to the world the cultural heritage and cultural confidence of the Chinese nation. All of our 56 ethnic groups have items incorporated into the country's representative list of national intangible cultural heritage, and the fine traditional cultures of different ethnic groups communicate with, appreciate, and respect each other under the framework of intangible cultural heritage protection. Intangible cultural heritage has become a carrier and bond for promoting interaction, exchange and integration between all ethnic groups and forging a strong sense of community among the Chinese people.

Third, intangible cultural heritage has become an important force to promote high-quality economic and social development, so as to meet people's needs for a better life. We have promoted the revitalization and development of traditional craftsmanship, and enriched the categories of traditional handicraft, significantly improving the quality of products and largely extending their applications into new areas of modern life. In order to boost targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization through intangible cultural heritage, more than 2,500 intangible cultural heritage workshops have been established in various places, which facilitated local economic development. Intangible cultural heritage projects related to family education and family tradition, as well as village-level regulations, have played an important role in nurturing good folk customs and fostering the culture of community.

Fourth, intangible cultural heritage has become an important part of displaying China's image and spreading China's voice. To date, 42 intangible cultural heritage items in China have been included on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage lists, ranking first in the world, contributing our share to global cultural diversity. The joint-applications for Urtiin duu or "long song" and the Wangchuan ceremony and related practices have become important manifestations of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Other items such as acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine, Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa and taijiquan have provided Chinese wisdom for solving human health problems.

Going forward, we will stick to the principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's major expositions and instructions on the protection of intangible cultural heritage. We will innovate while following fine traditions to find the connection between traditional culture and modern life, and we will revitalize our fine traditional Chinese culture with the spirit of the times to continuously satisfy people's ever-growing needs for a better life. Thank you.

China Daily:

Extensive and in-depth exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are of great significance in building a community with a shared future for mankind. In the past 10 years, what work has been done and what achievements have been made in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other civilizations? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Thank you for your question. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward major initiatives such as promoting people-to-people exchanges through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and implementing the Asia tourism promotion plan on the international stage. He also put forward important measures such as hosing the China-France Culture and Tourism Year and China-South Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges. He attended important activities including the China-Egypt Cultural Year and the BRICS cultural festival, and inaugurated China Cultural Centers in countries such as Pakistan, Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam. He sent messages of congratulations to the BRI-themed 2021 Great Wall International Folk Culture and Arts Festival and the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Tota Italia: Origins of a Nation" and other activities. Under his planning, arrangements and promotion, exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other civilizations have been thriving.

First, we contributed Chinese wisdom to international cultural governance. We continued to deepen our cooperation with UNESCO and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). As I said, China ranks first in the world in terms of the total number of items included on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage lists, and the Chinese language has become an official language of the UNWTO. International culture and tourism rules are becoming fairer, more just, diverse and open. In 2021, Yucun village in Zhejiang province and Xidi in Anhui province were included among the first group of Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO. The notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets has reached consensus in the development of world tourism. The training of culture and tourism human resources is in full swing, and Chinese experience and approaches have served as useful references for developing countries in their cultural development.

Second, we have expressed China's cultural proposals to the world through cultural exchanges. We have promoted the continuous development of 16 multilateral exchange and cooperation mechanisms and 25 bilateral ones, such as the Meeting of BRICS Culture Ministers. We have actively carried out cultural and tourism exchanges with countries with newly-established diplomatic relations, such as Panama, establishing a global network for inter-governmental cooperation. Brand events such as "East Asian Capital of Culture" have deepened inter-city cultural exchanges. Events we hosted, such as the "Meet in Beijing" International Art Festival, have showcased the development of Chinese culture globally. The total number of Chinese cultural centers and tourism offices overseas has reached 45 and 20, respectively. Every year they work together to organize events such as "Mid-Autumn Festival: A Moon-moment to Remember" and "Visiting China Online," serving as an essential window for demonstrating the unique charm of Chinese culture in an all-around way. We have built Hong Kong Palace Museum, launched the "National Art Troupe (Macau) Performance Season," and organized "Joint Love for the Chinese Nation" exchange activities, jointly promoting Chinese culture with Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Third, we have shared cultural achievements with people worldwide through cultural exchanges. We have proactively promoted Belt and Road cultural exchanges and cooperation and established alliances for Silk Road, international theaters, museums, art festivals, libraries, and art galleries, with 539 member units. "Happy Chinese New Year" events have been held for years, with about 2,000 events held in over 130 countries each year, and have become an essential bridge for sharing traditional Chinese festivals with people worldwide. Events such as "Beautiful China" and "Discover China Cultural Tour" have been carried out, attracting more and more foreign tourists to experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.

That's all for my introduction.

The Poster News APP:

China's urbanization has been developing rapidly since the 18th CPC National Congress. What achievements have been made in the integrated development of urban and rural public cultural services during this process? What role has it played in strengthening people's sense of gain from culture? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Public cultural services are closely related to people's lives. Mr. Chen Binbin from the Public Service Department will answer this question.

Chen Binbin: 

Thank you for your question. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have implemented in full the guiding principles embodied in General Secretary Xi Jinping's speeches concerning public culture and followed the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. We have redoubled our efforts to promote the integrated development of urban and rural public cultural services, focusing on providing standardized essential public cultural services for urban and rural residents. As a result, equal access to essential public cultural services has significantly improved. People's sense of gain from culture is becoming increasingly more robust, which can be demonstrated in the following four aspects:

First, the institutional system has been refined. Over the last decade, we have rolled out and implemented two laws and one standard. The two laws refer to the Law on the Protection of Public Cultural Services and the Law on Public Libraries. The one standard refers to the national standards to guide the provision of basic public cultural services. At the same time, we have seen that the 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities have worked out standards for providing basic public cultural services. Moreover, 333 prefecture-level cities and 2,846 counties have issued catalogs of essential public cultural services, and the Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Public Cultural Services has been promulgated. These laws, standards, and policies ensure that we can support the integrated development of public cultural services in both urban and rural areas.

Second, the system of facilities has been improved. Over the decade, the facilities network for public cultural services at the grassroots level has been expanded and improved through deepening reforms. We have advanced the development of facilities for public cultural services at the grassroots level by establishing county-level cultural centers and adopting the central-branch system for libraries. Ten years ago, we mainly relied on the system of service facilities, comprising over 6,000 cultural centers and libraries. Today, we have developed a facilities network for public cultural services at the grassroots level, including 95,000 libraries and service station branches. We have also made good use of social resources to push for the building of new public cultural spaces such as the "City Study Room" and "Cultural Station," which reached 18,000 spaces recently and are growing rapidly. These cultural facilities and spaces are built close to people's' homes. They are accessible and usable and greatly facilitate the cultural lives of the people, improving the convenience and effectiveness of public cultural services.

Third, people have enjoyed a greater variety of cultural activities. With the improvement of living standards, people have increasingly stronger needs for cultural life and activities. To meet these needs, we have actively launched mass cultural activities. developing such brand activities as the "Village Gala" in rural areas, "singing together," and the "square dance," with the number of participants continuing to hit new records. For example, over 118 million people participated in the national "Village Gala" demonstration activity held in 2022. When people engage in cultural activities, they are not only willing to be spectators but also willing to be actors or creators. Therefore, people have become the real subject of culture. We have enhanced the development of mass cultural groups. According to the latest data, the number of such groups has exceeded 450,000, up 50% from 2021.

Fourth, cultural resources have been made available at the primary level. Over the past decade, we have promoted the extension of quality cultural resources from cities to rural areas through standardization and cultural projects and made leapfrog progress in developing public cultural systems in poor areas, border areas with mainly ethnic minority populations, and old revolutionary base areas. For example, we have implemented a cultural talent support program in the above-mentioned areas. Over the past decade, we have dispatched a total of 169,000 cultural workers to primary-level cultural institutions and trained more than 15,000 cultural workers there. As operas are very popular in the rural areas, we have implemented a program to bring more operas to the countryside in recent years. Under the program, 78,000 opera performances are staged in 13,000 towns and townships in the central and western regions each year. Over the past decade, we have also carried out the digital library project and a cultural information resource sharing project, sending a large amount of quality digital resources to the primary level. Now, all the libraries in prefecture-level cities and 99% of county-level libraries across China, even in the most remote places, can provide digital resources amounting to 145 TB, including 300,000 e-books, over 7,700 types of periodicals, and 200,000 types of audio media.

Going forward, we will continue to promote quality development and provide higher quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable public cultural services to enrich the intellectual and cultural life of all people. Thank you.

Cover News:

In recent years, major archaeological discoveries such as those at the Sanxingdui Ruins site, the mausoleum of Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty, and the Piluo Paleolithic site have attracted much attention. What measures have been taken to facilitate archaeological research, preserve and sustain Chinese civilization, and bolster confidence in our own culture? What achievements have been made in this regard? Thank you.

Rao Quan:

Your questions are about a current hot topic. Let's invite Mr. Jin Ruiguo from the NCHA to answer the questions.

Jin Ruiguo:

Thank you for the questions. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important expositions and instructions on archaeological work on various occasions. He emphasized that great importance should be attached to archaeological work to deepen historical research on Chinese civilization and that the CPC and Chinese society as a whole should enhance historical consciousness, bolster confidence in the Chinese culture, work hard to build a modern socialist country in all respects, and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Over the past decade, under the guidance of the decisions and plans made by the central authorities, we have achieved fruitful outcomes in projects that explore the origin of Chinese civilization and archaeology in China, carried out more than 8,800 archaeological excavation programs, made major archaeological discoveries at the Liangzhu relic site, the Taosi relics site, the Shimao ruins, the Erlitou relics site, the Yinxu site, and the Sanxingdui Ruins site, steadily promoted frontier and underwater archaeology, witnessed the rapid development of scientific archaeology, public archaeology, and archaeology involving foreign parties, and obtained evidence for millions of years of human history, 10,000 years of cultural history, and more than 5,000 years of civilization history. All these have provided a rich historical and cultural source of strength for social development.

Going forward, we will continue to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and instructions on archaeological work, explore the unknown, reveal the origins, strive to develop archaeology with Chinese characteristics, style, and values, and better understand the time-honored and profound Chinese civilization.

The first is deepening archaeological research. We will continue to push forward projects that explore the origin of Chinese civilization and archaeology in China, promote academic research on the origins of mankind, agriculture, and civilization as well as the formation and development of a unified multi-ethnic state, and showcase the origins, historical context, and splendid achievements of Chinese civilization, as well as its major contributions to human civilization.

The second is strengthening scientific and technological support. We will promote the joint research of archaeology and history, humanities and natural sciences, strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration, accelerate the establishment of key national laboratories in the field of cultural relics, and build a national science and technology innovation center for cultural heritage. We will implement a national plan to cultivate archaeological talent and promote the development of world-class archaeological institutions.

The third is improving interpretation and publicity. We will make full use of new media, new technologies, and new means to strengthen the research and interpretation of cultural relics, historic sites and ruins, organize activities to publicize the outcomes of the project that explores archaeology in China, and jointly produce and broadcast TV programs such as "Exploring Ancient China" with relevant media outlets to showcase the long history and great creations of Chinese civilization, and educate and guide officials and the public, especially young people, to better understand and identify with Chinese civilization, and become more proud, confident, and assured in their identity as Chinese people. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Today's press conference is now concluded. Thank you to Mr. Rao and all the other speakers. Thank you to friends from the media. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Wang Qian, Xu Xiaoxuan, Guo Yiming, Yang Xi, Liu Jianing, Huang Shan, Zhang Rui, Ma Yujia, Yuan Fang, Yan Bin, Xu Kailin, Zhang Liying, Liu Qiang, Liu Sitong, Li Huiru, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.