Two women attend the 2016 Shanghai Cultural Festival, March 26, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law

The Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law is a basic law of overall importance in the cultural field. It was adopted by the NPC Standing Committee in December 2016.

The law clarifies the extent of the public culture service, that is, public cultural facilities, cultural products, cultural activities or other relevant services in which the government takes the lead and social resources participate, and which are supplied mainly for the purpose of satisfying the basic cultural demand of citizens.

It also states the principles that should be observed for public cultural services, which is adhering to the orientation for the advancement of the advanced socialist culture, adhering to the people as the center, and adhering to the guidance of the socialist core values, and giving support to the creation and production of fine public cultural products to enrich the content of public cultural services in accordance with the policy of "letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend".

The law also sets the standards for the basic public cultural services and the systems for free public cultural service facilities or preferential admission and public notices on public cultural services. Moreover, it includes the financial guarantee, supervision and management, personnel training, and the legal responsibilities for the violations of the law.