China's online cultural market expands

China's online cultural market, spearheaded by Internet cafes and online music and games, reached a total worth of 139.7 billion yuan (22 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Culture.

"Emerging culture markets, such as those for online music and gaming, have shown rapid growth momentum, while Internet cafes have become the main cultural consumption venue for low-income groups," said Tuo Zuhai, deputy director of the ministry's culture market department, at a Thursday press conference.

Tuo said the country's 146,000 Internet cafes reached a total worth of 61.9 billion yuan in 2011, while the online music industry's value amounted to 30.9 billion yuan, with some 452 related enterprises.

China's online gaming industry accrued a total worth of 46.85 billion yuan, up 34 percent year on year, Tuo said.

China has the world's largest online population, with the number of Internet users reaching 485 million as of the end of June 2011, according to the China Internet Networks Information Center. The number is expected to exceed 600 million this year, which means nearly half of the Chinese will use Internet services.