Guangdong, a province where cultural development has lagged far behind its fast economic growth, is encouraging non-governmental capital resources to help develop its local heritage.

To this end, the provincial government has decided to further lower the threshold and loosen restrictions on non-governmental investment here, according to the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

"The provincial government will further simplify its review and approval procedures and introduce even more preferential policies to help attract non-government investment to participate in developing the province's cultural industry," an official told China Daily yesterday.

The move aims to change Guangdong into a place where cultural development can compete with its economic growth, said the official who declined to be named.

And a senior provincial cultural official said yesterday the southern Chinese province has prepared more than 280 cultural projects to lure non-governmental investments, including offshore capital resources.

The projects have been estimated to value at more than 7 billion yuan (US$851 million), involving construction of cultural facilities, development of cultural products, protection of historical relics, organizing cultural fairs, festivals and performances in the province, said Cao Chunliang, director of the Guangdong Provincial Culture Bureau.

Non-governmental capital resources are eagerly sought in such projects as construction of an inkstone cultural village in Zhaoqing, a dinosaur theme park in Heyuan, a stone-carving garden in Yunfu and the China Marine Silk Road Museum in Yangjiang in the near future, he said.

Cao made the remarks at a working conference in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, yesterday.

Located in the coastal city of Yangjiang in the western part of Guangdong, construction of a China Marine Silk Road Museum was begun on December 6 and will cost more than 190 million yuan (US$23 million).

The project, which is slated for completion before 2007, will mainly exhibit ancient vessels to be salvaged from the South China Sea along with relics from the sunken boats.

And it is, so far, the largest cultural project that has been constructed in Guangdong Province.

The museum is expected to become a new cultural and tourist attraction in Guangdong that can compete with the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

As a starting point of China's ancient marine Silk Road, more than 1,000 ancient sunken vessels have been estimated to be present in Guangdong waters.

As the southern gate of the Chinese mainland, Guangdong has long been regarded as an economic upstart since China opened to the outside world in the late 1970s, and actually has rich cultural and historical resources that are seeking financial support from home and abroad for development, said Cao.

The province will open its film and television industry wider to private and overseas capital as well in the coming years.

Liu Hongbing, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Radio, Film and Television, said his bureau encourages non-governmental funds and overseas capital to participate in film production and distribution.

(China Daily December 17, 2004 )