China's investment in cultural cause hits a historical record as learned lately from the Ministry of Culture. In 2002 the state's cultural funds rose 17.8 percent over the previous year, and fees for central level cultural projects grew 24 percent. This year the state will spend more in the cultural field, with a batch of state-level projects under busy construction and the nation’s cultural undertakings showing a trend of fast development.

In the new century the state will focus on three major projects: the national acme of performing arts, rare and original books and nationwide cultural information sharing, which are jointly conducted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance. The "national acme of performing art" project, which consumes a fund of 40 million yuan annually, has been started at year beginning, with 30 best plays and operas sorted out. In five years the state's total investment on the project will reach 200 million yuan and 50 pieces of well polished plays and operas representing the state level and featuring the Chinese nation, will be brought to the face of the public exerting an everlasting effect on China's operatic stage.

The reshaping of original and rare books is a grand project benefiting the generations to come. In 2002 and 2003 the state put in 43.5 million yuan to copy and publish by using modern printing technology the ancient precious books on a large scale and in a planned way in an attempt to protect and use them. A total number of 1301 kinds of ancient rare books, which are of both historical and scholastic value, will be photo-offset copied and published in proper number and in unified binding. When decided the project in 2000, the state immediately earmarked 3.5 million yuan and by now more than 90 kinds of rare books have been re-published. The state will continue to fund the project with a total investment of 120 million yuan.

The national cultural information sharing project, which will consume an investment of 20 million yuan this year, has seen 50-odd media resources banks established. The aim is to use modern techniques to reshuffle the nation's best cultural resources including libraries and museums by digitalizing 1 million documents, 1000 pieces of local operas, 1000 musical pieces, 1000 painting works and 1000 valuable relics and help them find their way, through the Internet and discs, into communities, campus, villages, enterprises and barracks. When deciding the project in 2001, the state had put in a starting fund of 5 million yuan, and will inject 20 million yuan in every following year, with the total sum to reach 120 million yuan.

The National Grand Theatre, which is now under construction by the western side of the Great Hall of the People, has a total investment of 2.688 billion yuan and a floor space of 1495,000 square meters. Other grand cultural projects now underway include the national museum, the second phase project of Chinese Fine Arts Museum, the national opera hall and the overhaul of the Forbidden City. The compiling of "China Encyclopaedia" and of the "History of the Qing Dynasty", as well as activities protecting folklore are well underway.

A batch of major cultural projects will be kicked off soon. The second phase of the national library, at a cost of 1.235 billion yuan and with a floor space of 72,000 square meters, is now sorting out its design from among 9 bidders at home and abroad, and will be opened to the public in October 2007. The newly built library will store books out in the coming 30 years, with a newly-added capacity of 2900 seats and a daily receiving capacity of 8000 readers.

Since the opening up, the funds China has put in for its cultural cause increased year by year, said an official with the Ministry of Culture, and with the deepening of cultural system reforms the nation's cultural drive will see a flourishing perspective ahead.

(People's Daily September 13, 2003)