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Part 1 Toward a Culturally-Oriented Nation
Chapter 4 Cultural Policies of Other Countries
Section 4: Cultural Policies of China
1. Outline


(1) China's Cultural Administrative Organization

Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Ministry of Culture and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics have had the primary responsibility for China's cultural policy.

The Ministry of Culture, a part of China's State Council (equivalent to Japan's Cabinet), is an official organization similar to a ministry in the Japanese government. The Ministry of Culture formulates plans for the promotion of artistic culture and supervises their implementation, while also administering and instructing cultural industries and markets. In addition, this department concludes and signs international agreements concerning cultural cooperation with other nations and makes plans to execute projects. The Ministry of Culture is comprised of various internal organizations equivalent to Japan's government agencies: the Agency of Policy Legislation, the Agency of Art, the Agency of Education, Science and Technology, the Agency of Cultural Markets, the Agency of Cultural Industries, the Agency of Society, Culture and Libraries, the Agency of Foreign Cultural Liaison, and others.

The State Bureau of Cultural Relics falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, but it has an independent organization and authorities. The State Bureau of Cultural Relics is responsible for implementing policies to protect cultural properties.

Moreover, the State Intellectual Property Office, which is under the direct control of China's State Council, deals with copyright issues.


(2) Principal Themes for Cultural Policy

The Chinese government proposes the following four principal themes as the basic orientation for its cultural policy:

(a) "Literature and art should serve the people and serve socialism"

China's cultural policies enable the Chinese people to enjoy equal cultural rights, while also serving the purposes of socialism.

(b) "Let a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend" (the Hundred Flowers Campaign)

The government ensures that all Chinese people have the democratic right to engage freely in various forms of artistic and creative activities from many different perspectives, as long as the activities are not illegal or contrary to the principles of socialism.

(c) "Use the old for now and the West for China in order to create the new"

The government supports the accession and promotion of Chinese traditional culture, the study of foreign cultures, and the creation of new modern Chinese culture.

(d) "The government mainly protects cultural assets and prioritizes emergency assistance"

The government is responsible for protecting cultural assets and will take emergency protection measures for cultural assets it considers to be in danger.
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