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E-mail China.org.cn, December 26, 2024
Speakers:
Mr. Zhang Zheng, vice minister of culture and tourism
Mr. Ming Wenjun, director general of the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT)
Mr. Chen Binbin, director general of the Public Service Department of the MCT
Mr. Miao Muyang, director general of the Industrial Development Department of the MCT
Chairperson:
Ms. Shou Xiaoli, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
Sept. 30, 2024
Shou Xiaoli:
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO), as part of the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we have invited Mr. Zhang Zheng, vice minister of Culture and Tourism, to brief you on relevant developments and to answer your questions. Also present today are Mr. Ming Wenjun, director general of the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT); Chen Binbin, director general of the Public Service Department of the MCT; and Mr. Miao Muyang, director general of the Industrial Development Department of the MCT.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Zhang for his introduction.
Zhang Zheng:
Good afternoon. Today is Martyrs' Day, and we would like to pay tribute to the people's heroes. On the occasion of this press conference, we would like to express our gratitude to reporters for their interest in and support for the culture and tourism work over the years. I'm very glad to have the opportunity to be here with my colleagues and share with you the relevant progress in promoting the high-quality development of culture and tourism.
Our country will thrive only if our culture thrives, and our nation will be strong only if our culture is strong. Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to cultural and tourism work, made comprehensive arrangements for building a leading country in culture, and held conferences on tourism development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions on the work of public communication and culture as well as tourism. The leading Party members group of the MCT has conscientiously studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, kept in mind the overall work of the Party and the country, focused on people's aspirations for a better life, and strived to advance the high-quality development of culture and tourism. You may have already noticed that the culture and tourism craze has become the norm and has attracted widespread attention.
Now I will present to you the overall situation from six aspects:
First, we have strived to create and launch excellent literary and artistic works. We have given more support to stage performances and the creation of fine art, implemented a series of artistic creation projects in the new era, encouraged literary and artistic workers to produce works drawing inspiration from everyday life and the experiences of the people, and launched many good performances and activities. For example, the large-scale art performance "The Great Journey" celebrating the centenary of the Party's founding demonstrated the artistic style of a major country. The dance dramas "The Eternal Wave" and "A Tapestry of a Legendary Land" with which you are all familiar with have been both critical and commercial hits. Artworks reflecting the spirit of the times and focusing on the people's lives have been produced one after another.
Second, we have strived to improve the efficiency of public cultural services. We have rationally planned, built and improved the network of public cultural facilities, and created nearly 40,000 new public cultural spaces including reading spaces and cultural stations. To adapt to the development of information technology, we have built a smart library system and a public cultural cloud, providing more good places and good resources that allow people to read, learn and unwind. To meet the needs of the people, we have organized activities such as village galas, singing competitions and square dancing, attracting more and more people to sing, dance and have fun.
Third, we have strived to preserve and inherit cultural heritage. We have implemented the project to trace the origins of Chinese civilization and the Archaeological China project, carried out the fourth national survey of cultural relics, and advanced the preservation, inheritance, research and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage in a systematic manner, making intangible cultural heritage shine with new brilliance and vitality and better connect with modern life. With "museum fever" and "intangible cultural heritage fever" continuing to heat up, appreciating cultural relics and experiencing intangible cultural heritage has become a new fashion. In July, the Beijing Central Axis was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List, attracting widespread attention from across society and making experiencing cultural heritage once again a popular activity during the summer holiday.
Fourth, we have strived to promote the sustainable growth of the cultural industry. We have implemented strategies such as the national cultural digitization strategy and implementation of major cultural projects to spur the development of the sector, and advanced the continuous expansion of the scale of the cultural industry, achieving growth of business entities and significant improvements of quality and efficiency. In the first half of this year, the operating revenue of enterprises in cultural and related industries above designated size reached nearly 6.5 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year increase of 7.5%. Concerts and music festivals are popular all over the country. "China-chic," "neo-Chinese style" and "creative cultural products" have adopted both Chinese aesthetics and modern design, becoming commonplace in people's daily lives and attracting countless fans.
Fifth, we have strived to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry. We have continued to improve traditional forms of business and cultivate new forms of business and new scenarios, promoted the accelerated integration of tourism and culture, sports, commerce and agriculture, launched diversified, personalized and high-quality products, held a series of activities such as China Tourism Day and "Travel in China for a Better Life," and carried out consumption promotion activities during important periods such as holidays, so that people can travel with abundant choices, good experiences and for a reasonable cost. In addition to primary choices for travel such as national 5A tourist attractions and national tourist resorts, performances, sporting events, films and TV dramas have also attracted tourists and become new leisure choices. In the first three quarters, tourists made an estimated 4.29 billion domestic trips and tourism-related consumption reached 4.32 trillion yuan, increasing by 16.8% and 17.1% year on year, respectively, close to the peak level in 2019. This boom in tourism has not only enriched people's lives, but also boosted market confidence, driving the growth of consumption in transportation, accommodation, catering and retail, and giving play to its due role as a contributor to the people's well-being and their sense of happiness, as well as an emerging strategic pillar industry.
Sixth, we have strived to present Chinese culture to the world. We have held a series of art performances to mark major diplomatic events, such as the China-Central Asia Summit, to actively expand bilateral and multilateral cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation as well as to broaden the brand influence of "Happy Spring Festival" celebrations. Focusing on the bottleneck of inbound tourism, we have launched a series of measures and enhanced the level of facilitation. Twenty-seven "Nihao! China " overseas promotional tourist events have been held in 14 countries, attracting more foreigners to travel to China to experience a home away from home and China's beauty. The number of inbound visits in the first three quarters is expected to reach 95 million, a year-on-year increase of 55.4%, recovering to 93.4% of the same period in 2019.
In the next step, the MCT will conscientiously study Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and focus on the objective of accelerating the building of a strong country in culture and tourism. We will give priority to meeting people's cultural needs and inspiring people, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, deepen reform and promote innovation, and introduce a raft of targeted and effective incremental policies and measures. A series of activities will be launched to benefit the people and enterprises and promote consumption, and more excellent cultural products and high-quality tourism products will be provided, all with the aim of achieving new breakthroughs in the high-quality development of culture and tourism.
With the National Day holiday approaching, we will hold rich and colorful cultural and tourism activities, as well as introduce practical measures to benefit the people. For example, the National Stage Art Excellent Plays Performance and the National Art Troupe Performance Season are currently underway with good plays staged one after another. The National Art Exhibition held every five years has opened at the National Art Museum of China with a collection of excellent works. A series of events such as The National Day Culture and Tourism Consumption Month, and The Creative Rural Life Season will be held and nearly 1,000 activities with the theme of intangible cultural heritage will also be launched. I hope everyone will pay more attention and make more reports.
Thank you.
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