The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has pinpointed the role of socialist art and literature in promoting Chinese values.
"The prosperity of Chinese culture and art are necessary for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," said a statement released after a meeting of the CPC Central Committee's Political Bureau on Friday.
"Carrying forward the Chinese spirit, spreading Chinese values and unifying Chinese power are the sacred duties of art workers," said the statement.
Attendees at the meeting, presided over by CPC Central Committee's general secretary Xi Jinping, approved a document on development of socialist art and literature.
Art workers should focus on the people and on core socialist values, delving deep into the reality of ordinary people's lives, the statement said, emphasizing the need for producing masterpieces worthy of the nation and the era to meet the spiritual needs of Chinese people.
Create works for the people, express what the people feel, and establish an evaluation standard that can stand the test of the people, the document read.
Art workers have a responsibility to carry forward Chinese culture while adopting innovative methods in their work, said the statement, also urging the art and literature circle to value the role of critics and theorists and produce works for Internet readers.
Strength of ideology and high moral standards are considered absolute requirements for art workers, be they high-caliber artists, pioneers in the art circle or managers of art groups, according to the statement.
The statement emphasized that CPC guidance is the "basic guarantee" for the development of art, urging Party committees at all levels to integrate artistic affairs into their agenda.
Stressing publicity departments are the primary force in the mobilization and coordination of all artistic endeavor, the statement told local governments to earnestly implement art-related policies and support local artistic development.
The statement urged fostering a clean and honest environment for the art circle and enhancing the credibility and influence of art awards.
