Chinese museums, libraries encouraged to develop cultural products

Chinese museums, art galleries, libraries and other institutions are encouraged to develop cultural and creative products to promote China's traditional culture and coordinate economic and social development.

Efforts should be made to fully motivate museums, art galleries and libraries to utilize their cultural resources and develop cultural and creative products, said a guideline issued jointly by the Ministry of Culture and other agencies.

The guideline encourages these institutions to carry out in-depth cooperation with social forces, and for social forces to participate in product development, production and management.

Stressing that social benefits should always come first, the guideline suggested making the best of creativity and technology, allowing various market players to play a role, strengthening efforts to organize cultural resources, and promoting sharing of resources.

The guideline also highlighted building and protection of cultural and creative brands and improving the marketing of these products.

It proposed that museums, art galleries and libraries at the state level, and some at the provincial and sub-provincial levels, conduct pilot programs allowing the institutions to establish enterprises to develop cultural and creative products and their employees to work part-time at subsidiary or cooperative enterprises.

Product development should not harm cultural relics, and loss of relics and other state assets should be prevented, the guideline said.