Significant Culture

Several new museums have opened in the city where people can delve into the significance of Beijing's traditional culture as well as the passion and dynamism of its modern culture.

In 2005, some key cultural facilities such as the Capital Museum, the Capital Library, the Beijing Books Building, the Beijing Digital Publishing Centre, the China National Film Museum were completed. The Beijing Public Library Computer Information Service Network and the framework for the National Cultural Resources Sharing Project helped the building and operation of quite a number of grass-roots-level cultural facilities.

By the end of 2005, Beijing had 26 public libraries, with a collection of 34.66 million books, an increase of 14.8 percent over that of 2000. Eleven municipal art troupes staged 6,905 performances at home and abroad. By year's  end, cable TV subscribers had increased to 2.82 million, an increase of 68 percent more than at the end of 2000. The household cable TV subscription rate was 64.1 percent, increasing 18.3 percentage points over 2000. The comprehensive coverage rates of radio and TV were 100 percent and 99.99 percent. Beijing Television Station's comprehensive satellite programmes covered 26 provincial capital cities and 212 other cities. Twenty-four radio and TV programmes in the Chinese language were broadcast in 23 countries and regions. The numbers of newspapers, periodicals and books published in Beijing were 253,281 and 106,000. Various cinemas in Beijing screened 226,000 films in 2005, an increase of 79.3 percent over 2000, and with a combined audience of 8.74 million.

Beijing has 60 key sites of cultural and historical relics under State protection and 264 sites under the municipal protection. It has 129 registered museums, with a collection of 3.24 million items.

The city's museums have continually enhanced their service and reception capabilities, with more promotional activities and rich content than ever before. Significant exhibitions of China's cultural relics were shown in other countries and regions, and some of the world's best international exhibitions were welcomed in Beijing and other parts of China. Cultural exchanges with other countries and regions grew by leaps and bounds.