China spent big on culture in 2015, with a total of 68.3 billion yuan (10.5 billion U.S. dollars) spent on cultural undertakings, an increase of 17.1 percent from 2014, according to a report released by the Ministry of Culture on Apr 25, 2016.

By the end of 2015, 2.29 million practitioners in 299,100 cultural units under the management of the national culture system were plying their arts.

Chinese art troupes performed 2.11 million times throughout the year, an increase of 21.9 percent year on year, the report said.

A total of 25 China cultural centers have been put into operation overseas, organizing 924 cultural events, attracting 2.8 million foreign audience members throughout 2015.

More public museums have been constructed. There were 95.8 square meters of library space for every 10,000 people, up 5.8 square meters from the previous year, and spending on books was 1.43 yuan per capita, up 0.19 yuan.

The Ministry of Culture also supported 138 key cultural projects with 1.18 billion yuan in 2015, up 75 percent. In addition, more than 1.8 trillion yuan was poured into the cultural industry by private investors.