China urges for greater cultural development

GUIYANG -- Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun has called on local authorities to boost development of the cultural industry.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the comments during a trip to Southwest China's Guizhou province from Oct 12-15.

He said local authorities should take advantage of historical, red, ethnic and folk culture to both help boost cultural development and integrate culture into tourism.

The senior leader watched the rehearsal of the "Wind of Colorful Guizhou", a song and dance performance that consists of folk customs. The show debuted in 2005 and has been performed 2,050 times, attracting more than 2 million spectators.

Li also stressed the importance of facilitating a public cultural service network that covers both urban and rural areas.