Culture is a country and nation’s soul. Nowadays, spiritual strength tapped by culture is a necessity of carrying out a great struggle, developing a great project, advancing a great cause, and realizing a great dream,
Based on new starting point and new trend, how should we insist on putting the social effects as first priority and grasp the direction of advanced culture; how should we prosper cultural programs and industries so as to meet people’s ever-growing demands for spiritual culture; how should we carry forward our own culture, thus enhancing our cultural competitiveness and appeal worldwide. There are many significant questions of our times that are desired to be answered through the reform of cultural system.
In view of the reform of cultural system, Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening the Reform made deployment in improving cultural administration mechanism, completing modern cultural market system and building modern system for public cultural service. Over the past five years, further progress has been made in the reform of cultural system, and remarkable outcomes have seen in institutional innovation. It is reform that stimulates the vitality of cultural creativity and promotes the prosperity of cultural programs and industries, thus enhancing people’s sense of cultural fulfillment.
Since the Nineteenth National Conference of the CPC, the central committee of the CPC attaches great importance to cultural construction which was planned under five-sphere integrated plan and four-pronged comprehensive strategy. Meanwhile, we will reinforce top-level design and consolidate the framework of the reform of cultural system.
Important deployments of cultural construction was made in Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth sessions of the Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC. The Central Committee has issued a series of important documents for cultural construction, in which it put forward clear requirements and constituted comprehensive system, scientific and complete work procedures and framework.
We will speed up the reform of corporate system and shareholding system so as to complete legal entity-based governance and establish modern enterprising institutions; we will roll out important laws, including Public Cultural Services Guarantee Law, Movie Industry Promotion Law, Cyberspace Security Law, Public Library Law; we will complete the management system of state-owned cultural assets; we will push forward the integrated management of people, programs, assets and direction. Over the past five years, a whole raft of policies have been laid out for cultural institutional reform. As China's capacity for cultural governance is being increased, socialist cultural institutions with Chinese characteristics will be more sophisticated
Based on socialist market economy, we should properly deal with the relations between social effects and economic effects in cultural construction.
In September 2015, the General Office of the CPC and the General Office of the State Council disclose Opinion on Putting Social Effects at First and Achieving the Integration of Social Effects and Economic Effects by State-owned Cultural Enterprises. It makes clear that social effects should account for at least 50% in quality assessment and explore significant measures, such as regulation on state-owned cultural assets featuring the integrated supervision of the Party’s committee and government and effective leading by Publicity departments. At the same time, we are expected to transform this integration of two effects to real institutional design. Cultural enterprises should stick to correct guidance and create more popular works, thus promoting the prosperity of cultural market.
In midwinter, a warm atmosphere in artistic training room of cultural station was seen as professional teachers of cultural center were guiding Erhu fans to play Horse Racing; more than 10 women were playing tambourine with enthusiasm at village square. A lot of people were attracted to be here to enjoy the shows. This is one of the cultural activities launched by Dongan County to send instruments to villages. In June, Dasheng Town won the title of Hunan Folk Cultural and Artistic Town by virtue of “folk instruments”.
“We not only received instruments from cultural station. It is also very convenient to watch movies., which will be sent free with a call to county-level movie service station.” said Li Manrong from Huolong Village, Dasheng Town.
To achieve moderately prosperous culture is one of indispensable part of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. One of important missions is by no means to make up for the shortcomings in public cultural services so as to guarantee people;s basic cultural rights.
In 2015, the General Office of the CPC and the General Office of the State Council released Opinion on Speeding up the Construction of Public Cultural Service System, in which standardization and equalization are firstly regarded as the top priority of institutional design and 22 standards, classified into 14 categories, are confirmed.
In 2006, our country laid out the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law, which firstly defined the responsibilities and obligations of governments and related departments at all levels in public cultural services. thus legalizing and standardizing the construction of public cultural services.
With regard to scattered public cultural resources and low-efficient services, our country has rolled out Opinion on Promoting the Construction of Primary-level Comprehensive Cultural Service Center, in which facilities and resources, such as Party member’s education at grassroots-level institutions, introduction of scientific knowledge, law education, sports and fitness guidance, are integrated to establish primary-level comprehensive cultural service centers characterized by one-stop services
Public cultural services system has seen improvement through reform. There are 4.7 thousand museums, 3.1 thousand public libraries, 44 thousand cultural stations and 15.7 thousand art troupes in China. Currently, six public cultural service systems covering the central government, province, city, county, town and village have been confirmed. Cultural institutions launch nearly two million activities every year with 560 million people served.
According to statistics released by National Bureau of Statistics, the income of cultural programs and other related industries has increased by 3.4722 trillion yuan in 2017, accounting for 4.2% GDP, up 0.06% compared to last year. All these play an important role in accelerating the transition to new from old economic engines and promoting high-quality economic development.
Behind the statistics, we see strong market vitality. Over the past five years, we have stepped up great efforts to deepen reform in cultural supply side and build modern cultural market system and cultural program system. Many cultural enterprises and brands have become stronger and grown bigger, and the quality and effects of cultural program’s development are being improved.
In the tide of integrated development, cultural enterprises focus on docking with “Internet Plus” strategy, improving and upgrading traditional industry. At the same time, they speed up the development of emerging industries, including mobile multimedia, net-casting, digital publishing, Anime & Comic games, 3D and Max Screen movies. The innovation of cultural formats and patterns has seen new progress and new momentum of industrial development is further released.
Innovative vitality is released through reform and it also brings the prosperity of cultural market and many excellent artworks. According to latest statistics, the box office of Chinese movies hit 60 billion yuan, a record high compared to previous years. A growing number of high-quality products are not only created to meet the needs of people for colorful cultural life but also promote the development of cultural industry to a new stage.