BEIJING — China last year allocated 68.3 billion yuan ($10.5 billion) to cultural services, such as libraries and museums, according to a report released by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) on April 25.
Spending on cultural undertakings in 2015 increased by 17.1 percent from 2014, while per capita expenditure on culture-related services was nearly 50 yuan, up 16.5 percent.
There were 95.8 square meters of library space for every 10,000 people, up 5.8 square meters from the previous year, and spending on books was 1.43 yuan per capita, up 0.19 yuan.
Chinese art troupes performed or exhibited 2.11 million times throughout the year, an increase of 21.9 percent year on year, attracting 958 million audience members throughout 2015, the report said.
The MOC in 2015 also supported 138 key cultural projects with 1.18 billion yuan, up 75 percent. In addition, more than 1.8 trillion yuan was poured into the cultural industry by private investors.