Govt allocates 4.8b yuan for culture

BEIJING - The Ministry of Finance on Monday said the government has recently allocated 4.8 billion yuan ($783.03 million) to boost the cultural sector.

The amount of funding increased 41.18 percent from 2012, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

So far, the central government has allocated a total of 14.2 billion yuan to boost the cultural sector, the statement said.

The fund is expected to help carry out the central government's blueprint for cultural development, according to the statement.

China vowed to deepen its cultural system reform and build the country into a socialist cultural power in a document publicized by the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday.

To enhance its national soft power, China must adhere to the development path of a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and consolidate the guiding role of Marxism in ideological areas, according to the document.