Beijing Radio and Television Station:

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that it would be best if a book or piece of art achieves not only success in being thoughtful and artistic but also success in the market. We have noticed the launch of a number of excellent plays in recent years which delivered both good social benefits and economic returns. Could you share achievements in this regard? Thank you. 

Rao Quan:

This is a question about literary and art creation. I'd like to invite Ms. Zhou Hanping from the art department to take it. 

Zhou Hanping:

Thank you for your attention and concern for stage art. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, acting upon the important remarks of General Secretary Xi Jinping on literature and art, we have put people at the center of all our work. We have set art creation and performance as the central task, and improved the mechanism for art creation and distribution to guide literature and art troupes to adopt innovative business practices, expand the market and launch good works that people could love. Achievements can be concluded in the following three aspects:

First, excellent works have come forth in large numbers, which depict the greatness of the new journey in the new era and nourish people's aesthetics and values. Embarking on the new journey in the new era, we have actively guided literary and artists to give an all-dimensional and panoramic presentation of the new ethos of the new era and set the satisfaction of the people as the highest criterion for art creation. A number of select artworks that meet people's intellectual and cultural needs and develop their outlooks have been produced. In addition to such major performances as "The Great Journey," we have also staged a number of other excellent plays. Among them, dance drama "The Eternal Wave" has been staged for 414 performances; "Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" was performed 147 times in just one year; many other excellent works were also well received by audiences, such as opera performances "Yimeng Mountain" and "Ma Xiangyang Goes to Work in the Countryside," theater plays "Gu Wenchang" and "Liu Qing," Peking opera film "The Red Army Stories," and Guangxi's Cai Diao opera "Liu Sanjie (New)." These performances have generated both social benefits and economic returns.  

Second, we have carried forward and promoted the fine traditional culture of China through innovative art creation in the new era. Regarding the fine traditional culture of China as the source of art creation, we have produced a number of works deeply rooted in traditional culture. By integrating traditional elements with modern ones, and innovatively using new technologies and means to inspire originality and creativity, increase cultural connotations, and express thoughts and feelings, the fine traditional culture of China has continued to shimmer with charm in the new times. From the lasting popularity of the Kunqu opera show "The Peony Pavilion" and the film adaptation of the Cantonese opera show "The Legend of White Snake" to the growing appeal of the China Opera Gala (Kunshan), more and more excellent artworks with Chinese aesthetics, characteristics, and styles have become the trend of the times and smash hits in the market. Literary and artistic creation in the new era has shown greater depth and potential.  

Third, we have further reformed state-owned literature and art troupes so they can launch more good works, cultivate more talents and generate more returns. Acting upon the Opinions on Further Reforming State-owned Literature and Art Troupes of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, we have worked to set up a sustainable development mechanism to ensure the production of a great variety of plays and the cultivation of talents from generation to generation. We have encouraged literature and art troupes to embrace the market by staging more performances. According to a sampling survey among 400 art troupes in 2021, they staged over 60,000 performances and earned close to five billion yuan amid routine pandemic prevention and control. We have also made online presentations of offline art performances a regular practice to allow more people to enjoy art. For example, we presented the Spring Festival Special Edition of Art China to netizens through such online platforms as "Voice of Culture and Tourism" and "Art of China" and won wide applause from the public.  

I will stop here. Thank you. 

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