Party secretary: Balance of ancient, modern culture is capital's soul

Relying on its abundant cultural resources, strong economic foundation and historical relics, Beijing is striving to become a global, fashionable cultural city with both traditional Chinese characteristics and modern civilization, according to senior officials of the capital.

"As the cultural center of China, Beijing plays a leading role in the nation's cultural development, both in terms of its good international image and domestic cultural confidence," said Cai Qi, Party secretary of Beijing.

He said that its rich diversity of culture is the soul of the capital, comprising traditional Chinese culture, rich and profound historical culture, special local culture and innovative culture.

"We should transform Beijing's cultural advantages into economic development, relying on reforms, preservation, cultural construction and the establishment of cultural zones."

Beijing needs to provide more high-quality cultural products to meet the continuing demands of the public, he added. Chen Jining, acting mayor of Beijing, said that an important goal for the city's cultural development is to serve the public.

"Culture is deeply rooted in life and closely related to the public.

"We should construct a system for public culture that integrates cultural inheritance into the economic development of the capital," Chen said.

Last year, the added value of Beijing's cultural creative industries reached 357 billion yuan ($54.92 billion), accounting for 14.3 percent of the city's GDP.

Beijing Party Secretary Cai said that to support the further development of the cultural industries, the city should promote supply-side structural reforms and combine the positive influence of government management with the "invisible hand" of the market.

The government should invest more in constructing public cultural facilities, such as bookstores, museums and theaters, he added.

Du Feijin, head of Beijing's publicity bureau, said that building industrial belts is crucial for transforming Beijing into an advanced cultural capital.

As an ancient city, Beijing is famed for its numerous cultural relics, such as the Grand Canal cultural belt, the Great Wall cultural belt and the Xishan Yongding river cultural belt.

Du said that in addition to protecting the historical image of Beijing, the government is also continuing to encourage innovation and cultural communication in the business sphere.

"This year's China Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo, held last month, was a key platform for creative cultural enterprises to show their innovative cultural products and share experiences in the nation's cultural development," Du said.

One of the examples is the Beijing HuaYun-ShangDe International Cultural Exchange Co, an enterprise specializing in cultural innovation and going abroad.

Applying virtual reality techniques, the company has established cooperation in many fields, such as 360-degree cinema design and the Golden Tree Festival.

Zhao Lei, deputy general manager of the company, said: "Beijing is the optimum place for cultural innovation and has incomparable advantages in resources, supportive policies, skilled workers and customers.

"There is a complete industrial chain for cultural development in Beijing. "

Established in 2011, the company has completed many cultural exchange projects with foreign countries.

One of the projects is called Laikanba, a TV program exploring lifestyles, tourism and folk culture in China. German TV viewers have embraced the show for almost seven years. Its total international audience has hit 20 million.

Another project is a Chinese culture product and services trading center in Frankfurt, Germany. Covering more than 1,000 square meters, the center displays Chinese handcrafts and artworks.

"To expand and grow steadily, enterprises should have clear targets, be mature and have long-term development plans, amid the internet era and the nation's Belt and Road Initiative," Zhao added.

(China Daily 09/29/2017 page10)