BEIJING — China's cultural sector sustained recovery momentum in the first quarter despite COVID-19 shocks, official data showed on April 29.

The combined operating revenues of major companies in the sector amounted to about 2.7 trillion yuan (about $408 billion) during the period, up 5 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Among the sub-sectors, the revenue of cultural content creation logged a year-on-year growth of 10.1 percent in the first three months of the year, the data showed.

The country's central region led the growth with the revenue of the sector expanding 12 percent year-on-year, followed by the eastern and western regions.

The NBS data came from a survey of cultural companies with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan or those meeting other standards set by the NBS.

Looking forward, with more policies implemented to help enterprises tide over difficulties, the cultural sector is expected to maintain stable and healthy development, the NBS said.