CHINA> Human Rights Progress
Full Text: National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010)
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-13 15:08

(6) Cultural rights

Effective measures will be taken to promote cultural undertakings and guarantee the citizens' basic cultural rights.

- Building a public cultural service system. A network of public cultural service facilities covering both urban and rural areas will be basically completed, which ensures that there are large theaters, public libraries, museums, art galleries, cinemas and mass-culture centers in all major cities; cultural centers, libraries and cinemas in counties(cities); cultural activity halls in rural administrative villages; and cultural centers in urban communities. In the central and western regions, 26,700 all-inclusive cultural stations will be built, rebuilt or expanded; and some 70,000 farmers' reading rooms will be set up every year. By the end of 2010, the number of farmers' reading rooms across the country will reach 237,000. A digital cultural service system covering urban and rural areas will be built with 1.115 billion yuan of state investment.

- Fulfilling the target set for the national cultural resources sharing project in the 11th Five-year Plan. By the end of 2010, the 100TB digital resources construction task will be finished, with a branch center in each county and a grassroots service center in every village.

- Overall promotion of digitalized movie, radio and TV service. The national surface digital television broadcasting network, satellite live broadcasting system and mobile multimedia broadcasting system will be established and integrated, forming a vast content resource management system and an information integration, distribution and exchange platform, as well as a platform for integrating digital film programs. Mobile digital film projection in rural areas will also be promoted.

- Implementing major culture industry projects strategy to expedite the construction of culture industry bases and regional culture industry groups with special characteristics. The growth of key culture industry enterprises and strategic investors will be promoted, encouraging non-public capital to enter culture industries permitted by current policies and promoting the development of private artistic performance troupes. Intermediary culture agencies, such as artistic performance agencies, intangible assets evaluation agencies and information and consultation agencies, will be developed in accordance with the law.

- Encouraging cultural creativity and popularization. A special fund for cultural development and a special fund for the creation and performance of excellent theatrical programs will be established to support the creation of new programs in traditional operas as well as their training of performers and charity performances, and to boost cultural and artistic activities for the purpose of public welfare or as a demonstration. State-run art troupes are encouraged to perform at community-level venues. In 2009 and 2010, the state will invest 100 million yuan to provide some 300 mobile stages for art troupes and other grassroots cultural establishments so that they can easily and regularly go to the countryside to stage performances. The government will appropriate 3.4 billion yuan, using live satellite broadcasting technology, to make radio and TV broadcasting available in 716,600 villages each with at least 20 households where electricity is available by the end of 2010. The fund will also help bring digital film projection to rural areas throughout the country, one showing per month in each village.

- Continuously making museums and patriotic education bases open to the public free of charge, and conducting studies for formulating laws and instituting systems regarding the guarantee of cultural undertakings of a public welfare nature.

- Intensifying efforts in the protection of intellectual property rights and punishing all infringements of IPR in accordance with the law to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of IPR holders. A public patent search and service platform will be put in place.