BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- A flourishing culture is a hallmark of Chinese modernization.
With China set to embark on its new five-year plan, inspiring the cultural creativity of the entire nation and fostering a thriving socialist culture has been underscored in the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which is under examination and discussion during the ongoing "two sessions" in Beijing.
"New Popular Literature and Art," a wave of amateur creativity where people from all walks of life turn lived experience into art, has become a quintessential example of how the Chinese people inspire their cultural creativity, sparking lively discussions during this year's "two sessions."
On March 6, Feng Xiaoting, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivered a speech during a panel discussion. She stated that everyone is a participant and beneficiary of the "New Popular Literature and Art," which not only allows heartwarming moments of ordinary people to spread widely, enabling kindness to be seen by more people, but also fosters the creation of thoughtful and profound works that lead the values of the times with high-quality content.
The prosperity of culture is also inseparable from generations of inheritors of fine traditional Chinese culture.
Su Haizhen, a woman of the Jing ethnic group, and also an inheritor of the ethnic instrument Duxianqin, has been dedicated to the protection, inheritance, and innovative development of Duxianqin for decades. As a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), she frequently visits merchants, fishermen, and tourists to fully understand their hopes and expectations on the preservation and promotion of fine traditional Chinese culture.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), culture and tourism have shown a strong momentum of development, effectively promoting high-quality economic and social growth and making positive contributions to meeting the people's needs for a better life.
With innovative masterpieces and cultural projects continuously rolling out, China has also made breakthroughs in improving its public cultural services. Village galas, public libraries, registered museums, and mass cultural centers have enriched the daily life of the common people. Meanwhile, the preservation of cultural relics has been comprehensively upgraded, and the level of systematic protection of intangible cultural heritage continues to rise.
The cultural and tourism industries are thriving and flourishing. For the full year of 2025, domestic trips by Chinese residents exceeded 6.5 billion, up more than 16 percent year on year, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.5 percent -- setting new records in both volume and spending.
China has also carried out extensive intergovernmental cooperation and dialogue with countries around the world. Events such as "Happy Spring Festival" and the "Liangzhu Forum" have been continuously enhanced. The overseas promotion of the national tourism image under the theme "Nihao! China" has been conducted. The growing popularity of "China Travel" and "China Shopping" is fueled by sustained efforts to expand visa-free policies and facilitate inbound travel.
As is pointed out in the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China will continue to promote and practice the core socialist values, boost cultural programs, accelerate the development of cultural industries and extend the reach and appeal of Chinese civilization.
