Massive state funding for culture projects
16/11/2008 11:16
China will invest 800 million yuan (US$117 million) this year improving
cultural facilities in rural areas where some 800 million people live.
In
addition to 200 million yuan allocated earlier this year, the investment,
announced last week, will mainly be used to build cultural centers while
improving old ones in small towns and villages, according to the Ministry of
Culture.
China has constructed about 36,800 such centers since 2006. More
than 20,000 centers will be built before 2010, mainly in less developed central
and western areas, said Zhang Xiaoping, director of the ministry's division for
mass culture affairs.
Total investment could reach 4 billion yuan by 2010
according to the government's plan, he said, adding that last year saw 100
million yuan spent to start the project.
With cultural centers next to
their homes, villagers do not need to travel far to find a library, a cinema or
a museum. They can enjoy folk performances and fine arts created by fellow
villagers, or set up a handicraft workshop.
They can also enjoy movies or
read books via computers as many rural centers will be linked with a network
called the National Cultural Information Sharing Project, Zhang said.
He
said the plan was to give rural people better access to cultural facilities to
improve their quality of life.
Xinhua
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