Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng told a national conference on Friday that, over the past five years, China has invested nearly 6.8 billion yuan (US$819.6 million) in Chinese artistic troupes.

Since 1998, Chinese people have had the opportunity to view nearly 418,000 play performances annually, and total profits from all stage play performances in 2001 reached 574 million yuan (US$70 million), said Sun.

Sun said the Chinese government had also increased funding to explore markets for cultural products in the western regions and in minority population areas.

A total of 400 million yuan (US$48.3 million) has been spent on building libraries and cultural palaces in China's western regions, and a cultural information project for China's central and western areas was also launched in 2001, said Sun.

Statistics show that from 1998 to 2001, the Chinese government invested nearly 5.2 billion yuan (US$622.7 million) in the construction of libraries throughout the country. It spent another 4.6 billion yuan (US$561 million) on the development of the civilian cultural sector, in addition to the funding to increase the number of artistic performances.

According to the ministry, during the period from 1998 to 2000,China spent 130 million yuan annually for the protection of the country's historical relics, and the number of China's key cultural relic protection units has increased from 750 to 1,268.

China has also closed 277 shops dealing in audio and video products, so as to maintain the proper balance and domestic markets for cultural products, said the ministry.

In 2002, China succeeded in establishing cultural centers in France and Egypt, a sign of improved cultural exchange with overseas countries.

The ministry plans to establish additional Chinese cultural centers in the Republic of Korea, Germany, Britain, Russia and Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2003)