BEIJING - Following the popularity of "red tourism" and "red songs," China has found a new way to promote core socialist values: cartoon production.

The Ministry of Culture has launched a cartoon production initiative to give economic and promotional support to cartoons that reflect Chinese traditional culture and help bolster core socialist values, the ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry said final winners will be selected from more than 200 cartoon productions, all of which have been recommended by local cultural authorities. It added the plan will first focus on cartoons that tell revolutionary stories.

Core socialist values are a set of moral principles defined by central authorities as prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship.