China is now changing its cultural regulations and rules to fulfill its commitments for the World Trade Organization (WTO) entry.

The Chinese cultural market has seen prosperous growth since the adoption of the opening-up and reform policy, said Liu Yuzhu, director of the Market Department under the Ministry of Culture (MOC), at a national conference on grassroots cultural work held in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday.

Statistics from the MOC show that 300,000 cultural groups and enterprises employ 3 million people. Performances staged by public art troupes or the MOC or cultural departments at various levels surpassed 410,000 in 2000.

With China's entry into the WTO, foreign cultural groups and foreign capital will have easier access to China, changing the domestic cultural market, Liu said.

"The MOC and other cultural departments at various levels have thoroughly studied the commitments that China has made in the aspect of culture and have readjusted certain regulations in accordance with the commitments, in order to provide clear legal documents that abide by international practice," said Liu.

Up to now, two regulations and four administrative methods, in the aspects of film production and distribution, and theater construction and renovation, have been enacted, said Liu, and more regulations are under discussion. Foreign investors are now entitled to a shareholding of up to 49 percent of theater projects.

Liu added that the MOC had also cut down the number of cultural activities which in the past could only be carried out after being examined and approved by the MOC. This change would enable foreign art and cultural groups to have more chances and diversified channels to carry out cultural exchanges with the Chinese people.

The influence of foreign culture on Chinese culture is another concern to Chinese cultural officials.

"The development of Chinese culture is also a procedure of learning and absorbing foreign advanced cultures," said Wang Jingsheng, general director of Shenzhen Culture Bureau. "Chinese culture will be further developed and enriched if we can keep on learning.

"Introducing foreign culture and maintaining domestic culture is not necessarily contradictory," Wang said, citing Shenzhen as a good example a city which frequently invited foreign artistic troupes while building culture gardens to promote domestic culture.

Wang also said that Shenzhen municipal government was taking active steps to develop the city's cultural productions and audience capacity and seeking partners for international cooperation in art and culture.

At present, the cultural department in Shenzhen is looking for the cooperation of world famous publishers to jointly promote the development of local publishing industry.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2002)