The Xiangyang government held an evaluation meeting on April 14 in Wuhan to focus on a culture plan after months of preparations.

Nearly 150 experts from all over the country - government officials, culture enterprises and investors - attended.

This plan was written and edited by Fan Zhou, dean of the Development Research Institute of Culture, Communication University of China, with assistance from fellow research associates.

Yin Hanning, director of the Hubei Publicity Department, said the meeting promoted local culture development.

He also said it involves major issues, including livelihood , culture of the sector, city characteristics and regional advantages.

"During culture construction, the local government must put the livelihood issue at the forefront to guarantee cultural rights for residents.

The culture industry should be developed as a local mainstay," Yin added.

Fan Rui, secretary of the Xiangyang Municipal Party Committee, said, "We are figuring out how to accelerate culture construction to promote the local economy."

"We are searching for cultural spirit of Xianyang with its long history," Fan said. The plan focuses on local long-term development.

Xiangyang is transforming into a cultural city. It is reported that 10 key municipal construction projects will be carried out in the near future.

Edited by Fu Bo and Tom McGregor