Wider concerns

Better utilization of resources to serve the public is not just a concern for museums and libraries, but also for the entire public cultural services sector.

The report presented by the Ministry of Culture showed that 18 provincial-level administrative regions have introduced public cultural services to the local government appraisal system. Ten administrative regions, including Zhejiang province and Xiamen in Fujian province, have been selected as trial areas for the assessment of a range of detailed standards. Meanwhile, a training program has been launched for 242,700 employees of county-level cultural services to promote better service standards.

Some observers have urged local bodies to emphasize the artistic and cultural heritage of their home regions.

"Different regions have their own individual cultural characteristics. Good content is key, so the services can't be identical everywhere. Room should be left for local authorities to nurture their own appropriate styles," said Qi Shuyu, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

That explains why the national guidance issued by the State Council last year did not include specific instructions, but instead offered general suggestions for the construction of a framework and also encouraged local governments to devise their own detailed standards based on the outline, he added.

According to Qi, financial subsidies and tax cuts are effective ways of ensuring that high-level cultural institutions, such as opera houses and art galleries, offer lower price tickets to the wider public.

To avoid wasting money, he suggested the introduction of a more scientific system to evaluate financial support for public cultural services, rather than simply setting quotas.

In response to questions from China Daily, the public cultural services department at the Ministry of Culture issued a statement that said a "branch system" of public cultural institutions will be promoted to narrow the gap in service quality across different regions and combine widespread resources.

Under the system, cultural centers and libraries at the county-level will be guided by their counterparts at a higher level, and urban institutions will be encouraged to pair with, and offer support to, their rural peers to balance development.

"The protection of different characteristics will be improved. Cultural institutions will be mobilized to preserve folklore and intangible cultural heritage, and to develop related industries to promote economic development," the statement said.