With the encouragement from the Ministry of Culture, CCPIT, Gansu provincial Committee of  CPC, Gansu Provincial  Government and APCEO, the 1st International Culture Industry Summit was held in the intersection point of the Silk Road culture and the Great Wall culture of China--Jiayunguan City of Gansu Province, which is also the holy land of Chinese ancient civilization, and important guests from 30 countries and regions around the world participated in the summit. The theme of the summit is “Chinese civilization and the development of global cultural industries”.

 

The following is the speeches of Liu Weiping, Governor of Gansu.

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Good morning.

On the occasion of the First International Culture Industry Conference and the Fifth Gansu Culture Industry Fair, on behalf of Gansu provincial party committee and the Gansu provincial government, I wish to extend warm welcome to all the guests and sincere thanks to Ministry of Culture, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Asia-Pacific CEO Association as well as the provinces and regions beyond Gansu.

Gansu, as birthplace of Chinese civilization and agricultural cultivation, has a time-honored history and splendid culture, all which built its advantage to developing cultural industries. And, Gansu’s advantage unique to the rest of China is deeply rooted in and widely showcased on the three-thousand-li Silk Road and the eight-thousand-year history. The geographical location and the ancient tradition shaped the province with strong ethnic folklore and a tolerant cultural character. A galaxy of cultural relics remained in Gansu, such as temples of grottoes, passes on the Great Wall , pagodas, pavilions and town ruins are the evidence of the colorful lives of the Chinese ancestry and the key to understanding their history. In particular, the ancient Silk Road famed as the main axis of world history wheel and the grand canal of world culture, has more than 1,600 kilometers in the province. In 2010, Gansu was claimed as an important cultural resources treasure by the State Council.

Nurtured by this land and struggled for a better off life, Gansu people gradually built a fine tradition, namely, making ten times efforts than others, and the featured character of patriotism, law-abiding, honesty and credit and commitments. These traditions and characters are just driving force of economic growth, social harmony and people’s welfare. In 2011, Gansu’s GDP reached 502 billion Yuan, increased by 12.5%. The fixed assets investment amounted to 418.02 billion Yuan, up 40.2%. The urban disposable income was 14,988.7 Yuan at a growth rate of 13.6%, and the per capita net income of rural people 3,909.4 Yuan up by 14.2%. Both urban and rural residents have the access to the insurance of basic living allowances and health-care services. Facing the complex situation and increasing pressure of economic downturn in the first half of 2012, the provincial party committee and the provincial government timely adopted fifty measures to cope with challenges from home and abroad. Thanks to these measures and people’s efforts, our economic growth survives and maintains a good momentum of restructuring and leap-forward. The GDP grew at 13.6% and the fixed assets investment 44.7%. The rural people’s cash income increased by 17.9% and the urban disposable income 14.73%. A number of economic indicators show Gansu develops at an even higher speed nationwide. 

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

The Gansu provincial party committee and the Gansu provincial government always attach great importance to cultural industries. And we have formulated policies and regulations to boost culture, such as Suggestions on Further Developing Culture in Gansu Province, Policy Regulations of Gansu Province on Accelerating Cultural Industries Development, Guiding List for Non Public-Owned Capitals to Invest Cultural Industries in Gansu Province, and. In addition, we also made preferential policies in terms of finance and taxation, land resources, commerce and industry, human resources, etc. Six major projects are under construction for improving people’s mind, making masterpieces, entertaining people, revitalizing culture, reform and innovation, and cultivating talents. Gansu people will spare no efforts in building a zone of preserving and inheriting, innovating upon and demonstrating Chinese civilization in this land. Over the past years, a great number of cultural facilities have been constructed, several grand performances have been put on stage, and more professionals committed themselves to culture and art. We have had ever stronger confidence and resolutions to develop cultural industries in Gansu. We incisively learn that culture serves as an approach to industrial development and a symbol of social progress; it contributes to social cohesion and influences people’s livelihood. Culture can speed the economic growth and improve economic quality. A comprehensive competitiveness combining culture and social-economic development is turning into the most fundamental, the most everlasting and the most irreplaceable advantage in a province or a region.

We are deeply aware that to advance cultural industries is to maintain Gansu’s economic development at a fast pace. Culture serves and supports economy, vice verse. In recent years, Gansu taken its advantage of rich cultural resources, policies and environments, actively plans out key projects attracting various investments, benefiting related industries and with a broad market prospect. The government encourages and guides social forces to operate business in movie making and playing, performance giving, entertainment, media issuing, fair and exhibition. We take institution reforms as breakthrough, and orderly transform the cultural enterprises in market-oriented corporations. A number of large cultural industry groups with great competitiveness and potentials are emerging, such as Gansu Duzhe Publishing Group, Gansu Broadcasting, Film and Television Group, Gansu Daily Group, Gansu Xinhua Bookstore Group, Gansu Arts Performing Group, etc. Meanwhile, Gansu establishes a special fund for cultural industries so that cultural corporations of different ownerships can make investment in publishing, broadcasting, film and television, arts performing and tourism in the province. During the eleventh Five-Year Plan period, the cultural industries grew up by 14.7%, higher than the growth rate of the provincial GDP. This May, a national demonstration base for mixing culture and science and technology was founded in Gansu, among the sixteenth of the first group in China. Duzhe, published in Gansu and famed as the spiritual reader for Chinese people, is ranked the top 1 in Asia and the No 3 in the world with its circulation. Dance drama Flowers Blooming on the Silk Road and Dunhuang My Dreamland were acknowledged as the two of the eighteen best performing programs since the last thirty years. We prioritize cultural tourism as the leading industry of services, and push forward the mixture between culture and tourism. Cultural tourism has been developing a new pillar industry in Gansu.

We are deeply aware that cultural prosperity is necessary of all-round development of human. The all-round development of human is the precondition of all-round progress of human society. In recent years, the province sets its goal of improving people’s moral quality and all-round development, insists on putting people first and meeting people’s expectations, and establishes a pragmatic and efficient public cultural service system covering urban and rural areas with a reasonable structure and full functions. To date, Gansu has built 159 museums and memorials, 1,227 culture stations in town or townships and 5,000 culture halls in village. All the administrative villages have had reading rooms and the availability to share cultural information. Every village will play a free movie per month. Cultural activities and programs of various kinds are held in communities. Each year more than 1,000 plays and operas are shown in rural area. People’s spiritual demand is satisfied and basic cultural rights safeguarded.

We are deeply aware that cultural prosperity is incentive to social harmony and stability. In recent years, we take promoting harmonious culture as the major means to build a harmonious society. On one hand, we get socialist core values involved in the national education and all social-economic activities as the behavior norms. On the other hand, we continue to hold up with socialist concept of honors and disgrace, expand traditional Chinese virtues, try hard to promote social ethics, career norms, family values and individual morals. Activities like Prominent Figures in Gansu, Ten Outstanding Youth, and Elite Women Professional are launched. In addition, cities, organizations, villages and towns launch the campaign of rewarding models. By concerted efforts, environment, public order, rites and norms, social ethics are improving significantly. All of above help build harmonious society.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Bearing in mind the significance of cultural industries and rich resources in Gansu, we are currently striving for a national demonstration base of preserving and inheriting, developing and innovating upon Chinese civilization. We will make more efforts in cultural reforms, and speed up cultural promotion. Our goal is that by the end of 2020, cultural industries will flourish and the public cultural service system covering the entire province will be basically established; a cultural industrial pattern with public ownership as the main body and non-public ownership as complementary will take shape; the cultural industries will take 5% of the total economy as a new pillar industry; and therefore Gansu will emerge with competitive cultural industry in China. The Gansu provincial government will make great efforts in the following four aspects:

First, we will make great efforts in preserving and inheriting culture. Culture to a nation is like blood to a person. Our ancestry has bequeathed us rich and colorful cultural heritages, which provide a solid foundation for cultural development. We will further integrate various sections, improve legal systems, and set up a coordinating institution among government, social organizations and corporations. We will preserve and develop, inherit and innovate upon cultural heritages, combine cultural development with economic growth, and give impetus to common progress of economy and culture.

Second, we will make great efforts in developing and innovating upon culture. Innovation is the soul of development. By innovation Gansu people created a splendid culture even in harsh natural conditions. At present and in the near future, we will further liberate cultural productivity and factors of production, stimulate and mobilize all forces at the maximum, push forward the reforms on cultural institutions, and transform those cultural organizations into market-oriented corporations. We will improve the systems and institutions for better cultivation of professionals, and introduce some leading talents, especially the creative talents. We will support these talents and professionals to create a number of masterpieces with Chinese spirit and Gansu characteristics in a modern, open and market-based environment. We will strengthen the relations between culture and science and technology, widely utilize digital and internet approaches, and greatly upgrade cultural industries. During the construction of the national demonstration base of preserving and inheriting, developing and innovating upon Chinese civilization, Gansu will take cultural innovation as its core task, vigorously expand cultural industries, pay close attention to ecological environment, and explore a new development road for an economically backward province with culturally rich industries to realize social and economic leap-forward and transformation.

Third, we will make great efforts in industrial layout. Cultural industries can optimize economic structure, increase consumption, create job opportunities, and contribute to sustainability. As a green, sun-rise industry, culture plays an important role in promoting economic growth, improving the quality and transforming the pattern of economic development.

In the principle of taking advantage of cultural resources, emphasizing on geographical location and strengthening coordinating and balancing, we will actively guide cultural industries to develop in a clustered manner, form an industrial pattern with reasonable structure and complementary advantages, and nicely build the cultural industries area with three gardens and one belt as its main part. We will build a cultural industries belt along the Silk Road, a creative cultural industry garden in Lanzhou, an agricultural cultivation and folklore garden in Qingyang, and an ethnic culture garden in Linxia. We will construct a number of projects valued more than ten billion Yuan. Based on the cultural gardens and zones, we will introduce projects of large investment, with new and high technology, and having a broad market prospect. By continuously improving the scale, intensity and quality, we expect the cultural industry will grow annually at 30%.

Fourth, we will make great efforts in cultural communication and integration. The value of culture can only be acknowledged by wide communication. 2,200 years ago, our ancestry opened the Silk Road through Gobi and desert for communication between China and the West. And on this road, tens of thousands of cultural treasures are remained up to now; some have been claimed as world cultural heritages. The communication shaped Gansu a character and spirit of tolerance, openness and diversity. With the construction of new Eurasian Continental Bridge, Gansu once again emerged as a strategic channel for East Asia to connect with the West Asia. We will elaborate the advantage of the geographical location and strategic channel, positively integrate into world culture and global economy, and build a stage for cultural communication and cooperation between China and the world. We will have cultural products made in Gansu go global, at the same time, actively introduce the outstanding cultural programs and products to the province. Through these efforts, a win-win result will be achieved in Gansu where the local people can enjoy the high quality cultural products, and cultures of various origins can communicate and melt with each other.   

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

This International Culture Industry Conference, for the purpose of expanding agreement, deepening understanding and promoting friendship, will strengthen cultural communication and cooperation among regions and between China and the rest of the world, and propel cultural industries prosperity. The theme of this conference, Chinese civilization and international cultural industries development, interprets that Chinese civilization is ancient but lively, and it can benefit China and the world. This requires all efforts from China and abroad, in particular from Gansu, to preserver and inherit, to develop and innovate upon Chinese civilization. We earnestly hope that all the guests present at the conference will make contributions to this great cause. And we warmly welcome cultural corporations from home and abroad to make investment in Gansu.

Let’s take this opportunity to strengthen cooperation, and expand communication. Let’s seek common development and prosperity hand in hand. And let’s achieve a win-win result by jointly push forward cultural industries.

May the First International Culture Industry Conference and the Fifth Gansu Culture Industry Fair a complete success!

May all the guests and friends good health and success!

Thank you!.