China to improve cultural services for special groups

Updated: 2012-02-15 22:10

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - China will improve its cultural service coverage for members of minority groups, handicapped people and other special groups, according to a cultural development plan for the 2011-2015 period issued on Wednesday.

"Public cultural services will be improved for women, minors, the elderly and the disabled. We will also support the creation of cultural products for ethnic groups and translate more quality Mandarin products into minority languages," said the Outline for the 12th Five-Year Program (2011-2015) on Cultural Reform and Development.

Issued by central authorities, the document calls for the creation of publications for the visually-impaired while encouraging public libraries that have sufficient resources to set up electronic reading rooms for them.

In addition, the outline urges narrowing the cultural development gap between urban and rural areas by improving cultural services in China's rural regions, including central and west China.

The document includes a goal of arranging for 50,000 film screens to be allocated to or built in rural areas, allowing authorities to establish a monthly screening of at least one film for every village in the country by 2015.

The document also states that television and radio networks will be accessible by 99 percent of the country's population by 2015.

The outline states that migrant workers should be included in urban cultural service systems, with companies and communities encouraged to organize non-profit cultural activities for them.