University, ministry ink agreement to promote public cultural services

The School of Arts and Communication of Beijing Normal University and the Department of Public Culture at the Ministry of Culture have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for promoting public cultural services in county-level cities across the country on June 17.

Facilities, such as libraries, museums, cinemas and theaters, will be provided along with digital platforms, enabling people to access art education. Art training and volunteer services will also be launched.

"Chinese people's passion for culture is on the rise. While many residents in bigger cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou enjoy high-quality cultural activities, people in rural towns and villages should have the same level of art life," said Bai Xuehua, the deputy director of the Department of Public Culture at the Ministry of Culture at Beijing Normal University, on June 17.

Marking its 120th birthday next year, Beijing Normal University has launched a series of projects for art education among general public and to train art teachers.

According to Xiao Xiangrong, director of the School of Arts and Communication at Beijing Normal University, the university has been focusing on research about public cultural education since 2017 by collecting related statistics and mapping out plans to promote academic studies.

"China has lots of beautiful villages and they inspire us who work in the universities to explore cultural diversity," said Xiao. "We want to help launch art festivals and cultural programs among villages with weekly and monthly events designed for people of all ages."