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Heilongjiang creating culture industry

By Ming Tai (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-19 07:37

A Russian shows his handicrafts while playing guitar and singing.

Heilongjiang province is taking long strides to promote local culture industries through a detailed plan to guide their development.

The term "culture industry" - used for systematic production of publications, movies, TV programs and art works, and those that offer services like performing arts and entertainment - is regarded as an important indicator of social progress.

Heilongjiang has witnessed rapid development of its culture industry since the implementation of reform and the opening-up policies in the late 1970s.

The province now has about 40,000 firms engaged in the culture industry along with more than 400 cinemas, 50 theaters, 97 libraries and 41 museums.

Radio and television, entertainment and publications are the three pillars of Heilongjiang's culture industry.

At present, the province has 73 television stations and 45 radio stations. TV reaches 97 percent of the population and radio 98 percent.

Publications in the province include books, magazines and newspapers along with video and audio productions. Book, magazine and newspaper editions printed in Heilongjiang total some 2,600 issues annually, generating annual sales revenues of more than 3 billion yuan.

Implementation of a market economy has resulted in cultural enterprises that generate considerable economic and social profits.

Heilongjiang Books and Audiovisual Publications Group founded in 1996 is one of the most profitable cultural companies in the province.

Despite progress the culture industry continues to face challenges.

The gap between demands and development of the culture industry is still very large. According UNESCO, the ratio of libraries should be one for every 30,000 people. In Heilongjiang, the proportion is one for every 393,100, while 336,000 people share each cultural center.

As well, the culture industry lacks orderly operation due to its a backward management systems, according to provincial officials.

To overcome the hurdles, the government has made a detailed plan for rapid development of the culture industry.

The province plans to accelerate and deepen the reform of the culture industry to guide it to a market-oriented path. It will also formulate new preferential policies to encourage investment in the sector.

The plan notes a pressing need for a sound legal system to ensure development of the industry, including administrative punishments for violations of laws, especially for piracy.

The government is also encouraging establishment of intermediary organizations to provide more professional services to the culture enterprises to help generate more profit.

(China Daily 06/19/2008 page5)