Hebei: launching cultural projects to benefit the people

With the Bohai Sea to its east and the Taihang Mountains on its western borders, Hebei's topography is that of China on a smaller scale. Here you can see farming, nomadic and marine cultures intertwined, all alongside modern industrial towns and cities. How to better benefit people with its diverse cultural resources is high on the agenda of the Hebei provincial government, said Wang Jingwu, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee.

Building Hebei's Public Cultural Service Network

The Hebei provincial government has carried out a host of projects expanding access to culture for ordinary citizens and a five-tier public cultural service network has taken shape in the province. The five tiers refer to province, prefecture-level city, county (county-level city and district), town/township (sub-district) and village (neighborhood).

"Hebei Province plans to use one percent of the urban construction fee levied by local governments to build community cultural facilities, which are prerequisites to improve people's cultural life," Wang Jingwu said.

In the meantime, local governments have already put efforts into building facilities and encouraging cultural life. Bazhou City, for instance, has built public cultural services, playing a big role in organizing cultural activities. Further inland, Dingzhou City has introduced a program called "Cultural Circles Within 15 Minutes." Here, anyone can find a cultural facility within 15 minutes' walk from his or her home.

Another example of successful local initiative is "Happy Countryside," a project introduced by Handan City. Thanks to "Happy Countryside" cultural activities are flourishing in rural Handan. Many villagers find their values and spiritual outlook refreshed by the project. Activities in the "Happy Countryside" program have greatly enriched villagers' lives and contributed to the development of local agriculture and commerce.

A project called "Benefiting the Populace" has also had a significant impact on the cultural lives of Hebei residents. A survey conducted in early 2010 found that of Hebei's 153 county towns, only one had a cinema able to screen digital movies. This was far from meeting locals' increasingly strong demand for watching digital blockbusters. In 2011, the provincial government took steps to remedy this, and by the National Day on October 1, 2011, all of the province's 153 county towns boasted digital cinemas.

The provincial government is determined to continue to enhance local cultural life in the coming years, and has set a series of goals for the period of 2011-2015 that will further guarantee citizens' fundamental cultural rights. These include establishing an inclusive and convenient public service network that adds to the government's ability to improve people's wellbeing through cultural programs and constructing venues necessary to host cultural activities.