Chinese residents use leisure time to engage in increasingly diverse cultural activities

Chinese urban and rural residents are engaging in increasingly diverse cultural activities, such as visiting museums, libraries, art galleries, cultural centers, exhibition halls, bookstores and concert halls, as well as going to theaters, with an aim to enriching their spiritual life.

Visitors view calligraphy works at the Jiangsu Art Museum in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu province. (Photo/Su Yang)

Cultural activities have become a popular choice for Chinese people seeking out recreation, second only to shopping, according to a recent report on residents’ recreation development released by the China Tourism Academy (CTA).

The report pointed out that about 65 percent of respondents found themselves very much interested in watching movies, visiting museums and exhibition halls, and going to theaters, concert halls and other cultural facilities for leisure activities.

In recent years, Chinese people have shown a growing interest in visiting museums. This year, the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan city, southwest China’s Sichuan province, has been among the most popular destinations for Chinese residents. The visitors to the museum are being drawn by more than 500 pieces of exquisitely built and uniquely shaped relics on display, which were discovered in recent months at the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins site in the city. The museum received a total of 12,400 people on the first day of the National Day holiday, which ran from Oct. 1 to 7, generating ticket revenues of 695,400 yuan (about $108,776.9), up 588 percent and 378 percent year-on-year, respectively.

Chinese residents are enjoying a brand-new experience at cultural facilities during their leisure time. For example, many bookstores in urban areas now include coffee shops, teahouses and sections selling cultural products, while public libraries across the country organize lectures, cultural salons and art exhibitions.

A visitor views an exhibit at the Yangshao Culture Museum in Sanmenxia, central China’s Henan province. (Xinhua/Li An)

Chen Fangfang, a young woman in Beijing, said she likes enjoying her leisure time at bookstores. “I often get together with my bosom friends at popular bookstores like Zhongshuge Bookstore. We read books, drink coffee, listen to lectures and buy cultural products there,” Chen said.

Meanwhile, Chinese people are also enjoying colorful cultural activities virtually. According to a survey by the CTA, 55.8 percent of the respondents said they took an active part in online exhibitions and performances, while 57.7 percent noted that they were willing to participate in virtual tours of cultural venues. Meanwhile, 41.3 percent of respondents said that they were willing to take online courses to improve themselves, while 40 percent said they liked watching films and TV series online, in addition to partaking in livestream video sessions.

To meet residents’ demands for diversified and personalized cultural activities, China has advanced the construction of cultural venues and has opened public cultural facilities to the public for free. By the end of last year, the country had 3,212 public libraries, 618 art museums, 5,788 museums, 3,327 cultural centers, more than 40,000 cultural stations, and 575,400 village-level cultural service centers, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.