-- Our Policy and Proposition

(Speech by Ms. Meng Xiaosi, deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, at the 2nd International Conference of Culture and Development in Cuba)

Distinguished Chairman, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very glad to attend this conference. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Cuban government heartily for its efforts to prepare this international conference on culture and development, and appreciate its accomplishments in cultural development. Nowadays, the issue of culture and development has become a new tactic topic that concerns all countries. The important effect of culture and significant impact on economic development and all-around social progresses have gained worldwide recognition. At this significant moment of entry into a new century, people have a higher historical expectation towards culture. Here, please let me introduce you to the Chinese government's policies on culture and its basic propositions on the development of world culture.  

The Chinese culture is a culture of the Chinese people. The primary goal of Chinese culture construction is to serve the vast masses and make them enjoy the broadest cultural rights. The ultimate principle of cultural development in China is for all citizens to equally enjoy the cultural fruits and participate in the cultural creation on their own initiative.

China began its reforms. Since then, China has made amazingly great progress in economy, society and culture. Chinese people have become the biggest beneficiary of culture development. In 1999, overall TV coverage reached more than 90 percent of the Chinese population where farmers in remote villages knew of big domestic and foreign events of the day and appreciated excellent performances by first-class domestic and foreign artists, such as citizens in metropolitans like Beijing, Shanghai and so on. Chinese artists go to launch performances in the grassroots in cities and towns, which leads to the trend of bringing cultural movements down to people's daily lives. Therefore, mass cultural activities such as the community culture, village and small-town culture, corporate culture, campus culture, etc., become hot and long-lasting. It is not an exaggeration to say never have the Chinese people had such a colorful cultural life as today and never have they enjoyed such broad cultural rights as today.

Chinese culture is an ethical culture in China. It is an undoubted duty of Chinese culture construction to, on the one hand, protect historical cultural heritage and, on the other hand, to revive the excellent traditional culture. To maintain the unique cultural characteristics of Chinese minority ethnic groups and to build a unified culture space is the firm will of Chinese culture development.

As it is all known, China is a civilized, ancient country with a 5,000-year history, and a cultural, big nation with 56 ethnic groups, as well. Over the years, magnificent and colorful culture and arts, created by different Chinese ethnic groups, demonstrates their distinct but closely-connected spiritual experiences a combination of which has formed the long-lasting, rich and profound Chinese culture. The exuberant cultural legacy is spiritual wealth owned by all Chinese ethnic groups, whereas the long-history cultural tradition becomes the hometown of all Chinese souls. The Great Wall which goes through from the west to the east of China, the Grand Canal which connects the south and the north of China, the Potala Palace in Tibetan snowy mountains, the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang located along the Silk Road, Qin Emperor Shihuang's terra-cotta warriors and horses nearby the Yellow River, the stone figures with big feet at the bank of the Yangtze River (Please forgive me, as a Chinese, I list them out one by one as precious treasures here), belong to China and the whole world as well. Once destroyed, they can never be regenerated. For this reason, the Chinese people value and protect them, and are proud of them as well. The Chinese government, out of sufficient respect for existence and development right of different Chinese ethnic groups, advocates cultural exchange among them and promotes harmonious development of their cultures.

Chinese culture is culture of development. The preferential orientation of Chinese culture construction is to promote innovative development and step up the development of contemporary Chinese culture. The basic strategy for Chinese culture development is to develop economy and culture in line, and to promote material civilization and spiritual civilization mutually. 

The most effective protection of ethical culture is to develop it in line with time, for development is the absolute principle, while the most effective way to inherit ethical culture is to innovate based on its connection, for innovation breathes life into culture. It is the same case for ethical cultures of different nations to make new brilliance. We will enhance sense of innovation for Chinese culture in the 21^st century, in order to make it keep in line with time, reflect Chinese modernization process and thus establish a more prosperous new Chinese contemporary culture. To develop Chinese culture vigorously is a strategic issue for the renaissance of the Chinese people. Upon understanding position and role of culture construction from the perspective of national prosperity and ethical development, we have brought it into the total strategic planning of national economy and social development. Our tasks are to focus on economic development, and pay much attention to spiritual civilization construction while speeding up material civilization construction, so as to achieve the goal of promoting economic, political and cultural development harmoniously. Currently, China is implementing the Western Development strategy. We have explicitly pointed out that culture development makes an important component of total objectives of the Western Development for the purpose of building western China with booming economy, stable government, beautiful scenery and flourishing culture.

Chinese culture is an open culture. China has voluntarily chosen for its culture construction to learn merits from different nations. The persistent policy for Chinese cultural development is to develop external culture exchanges and to enlarge international cultural cooperation.

On one hand, the world is approaching China. We launched a series of large-scale international cultural exchange activities such as '96 China International Symphony Year, '97 China International Opera and Pantomime Year, '98 China International Art Year, '99 China International Ethnic Songs and Dances Year, 2000 Meeting in Beijing, etc. Excellent art organizations and artists from about 100 countries and regions came to China, and their performances were well received by Chinese people. On the other hand, China is approaching the world as well. Chinese artists introduced fine Chinese ethical and local arts to the whole world, Chinese ethical style of which fascinated audiences over the world. The Central Chinese Traditional Music Orchestra  has performed in the Golden Hall in Vienna, a holy place for refined arts, for several consecutive years. China Peking Opera Theater succeeded in its road show in Europe and the U.S.A., whose performance became a big hit in those countries. For the time being, China has signed culture cooperation agreement with 137 countries. In the new century, China will be more open to the world, which means China will be culturally more open. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is undergoing profound changes: scientific technologies develop rapidly; economic globalization is enhancing; the political multi-polarization is irreversible. In this context, people are more concerned about culture and its special influence on economy and social development. It has been understood that culture traditions and historical characteristics of different nations worldwide is very likely to produce a potential force on economy, politics and technology, and has a fundamental effect on social development. Moreover, influence of cultural element has gradually been obvious in international intercourse. In face of cultural development in the new century, we propose as follows:

Firstly, establish a fair and rational new international culture system during the globalization, with equality and intercourse as its principle, diversification and coexistence as its goal.

Actually, respect for and recognition of world cultures' diversity has come to be a norm for international relations generally accepted by most nations in the world. In regard to international cultural affairs, we believe, all national cultures are equal, and diversity in nationalities, religious beliefs and civilizations is fully respectable, regardless of their power, wealth and race. We also advocate that all nations shall communicate among one another healthily and equally, and exchange and cooperate constructively, based on respect for the differences, understanding of individuality and the spirit of peaceful coexistence. Apart from these, we appeal to give regard to and protect cultures of developing countries and regions, and to firmly maintain all nations' lawful culture existence and development rights. We are convinced that only culturally equal can people of different nations learn from each other, use for their own reference, respect each other and coexist; only culturally diversified can the world be more colorful and more energetic.

Secondly, upgrade cultural connotation contained in economy, increase financial support to culture, and build up good interactive environment between culture and economy during the process of modernization.

With mature industrial economy and developing knowledge economy, people now pay attention to situation of separated culture and economy, and look forward to creating brand new economic and cultural integration. The 20^th century was a century of rapid advance of material civilization. However, ever since the industry resolution, especially in the 20^th century, the industrialization that started in the western countries has brought about high-level material civilization, and at the same time caused many unfavorable results. One of the biggest is environmental devastation. There comes huge consumption of non-renewable resources, sharp increase in population, environment contamination and zoological deterioration, together with the world economic miracle. Also, the capitalistic industrial civilization resulted in disorientation of social values and objectives and loss of humanity. All these inevitably make people consider, reevaluate traditional development theories and restructure future of human civilization. It was out of such reconsideration that came into being the sustainable development theory, which has been gradually improved from the mid 1980s till now. Main idea of such theory is to attach great importance to economy, politics, culture and society, and harmonious development between human being and nature. To adopt such development strategy, we shall certainly pay attention to value of culture, and develop economy with culture as a participant. In fact, culture and economy are not enemies by nature. They shall and must be partners. It shall be an effective way to eliminate culturally economic poverty and economically culture poverty widely existing in contemporary society by promoting alliance between culture and economy, support economic and cultural environment, and stay alert on bad influence of excessive commercialization to culture at the same time. We shall vigorously develop economy, invest more money in culture construction, and guide and support all walks of life to provide more financial aids to cultural development. We shall also make efforts to find markets for culture, energetically promote culture-related business, and provide support to culture's sustainable development. Here, we call on international society and national governments of all countries to think of people's material life, as well as spiritual life; to care about economy development, as well as culture development, for the purpose of making culture contribute more to economic progress in the 21^st century, and leading economy to provide more support to culture in the new century.

Thirdly, protect and develop historical culture legacy, exploit and enrich contemporary emerging culture, and to establish flourishing new national culture in the process of modernization.  

Different nationalities have created rich culture legacies of their own in their history, and also formed their own fine culture traditions. To a nation and a country, race and complexion are not their unique symbols, whereas their excellent traditional cultures are their real internal marks. Only excellent national traditional culture can tell us who we are on earth and where we are from. Even on the way to our future, we can never cut off our national culture link. On the way to the world, we cannot forget the way back home. Nevertheless, traditional culture is rather a forever-flowing long river that absorb many brooks and rivers along its road than rockbound faultage of broken spirit fossil. It flowed from hearts of our ancestors generation after generation, and now it irrigates and moistens our hearts. The contemporary cultures of all nationalities worldwide are all continuation and renovation of their own historical cultures. And only rooting in our own nationality soil can we preserve our distinctive characteristics and unique charm. When we take a look at contemporary culture development of the world, high-tech application in the field of culture has resulted in varied new cultural forms, exploited a large unfamiliar land, and thus promoted human civilization to a higher level. It is an important issue faced by nations worldwide how to balance protecting and reviving traditional culture over creating and developing modern new culture. We are ready to joint hands with you in winning enough survival space for our respective precious historical culture legacies with sufficient support and protection, and in breathing a new life into our respective excellent national culture traditions through continuous innovations. Of course, this shall also be the mutual historical responsibility of the international society. Before I end my speech, I would like to send my best wishes to Cuba, the host of this conference and a bright pearl of the Caribbean Sea. Also, best wishes to every participant today and to world culture development of the new century. A famous Chinese saying goes like this Within the whole world, we are all brothers, and I would like to use this saying to express my feelings. Culture bridges people's hearts. Although the globe we live in becomes crowded as time goes by, we are still willing to see people's hearts get closer. Let's join hands to create a more beautiful tomorrow for human culture. Thank you!