BEIJING, March 10 (Xinhua) -- While economic growth and technological innovation remain central to China's agenda, cultural advancement stands as an important pillar in the country's development blueprint for the next five years.

People attend a fair celebrating the "pohui" festival in a Miao ethnic village of Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 7, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

According to the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), notable progress in culture and ethics is emphasized as a key goal. It advocates for stronger confidence in Chinese culture, richer cultural experiences for the people, and more robust cultural industries, among other priorities.

The draft, under examination during the ongoing session of the national legislature, represents a key stage as China enters the final decade of its push to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035.

Its emphasis on culture reflects a defining feature of Chinese modernization: the coordinated pursuit of material and cultural-ethical progress.

Some analysts noted that in parts of the West, rising inequality, eroding trust and growing cultural fragmentation have been increasingly associated with weakening shared values and social cohesion.

In contrast, China has highlighted cultural and ethical development as a pillar for enhancing social harmony and shared values in a rapidly growing economy.

China has actively promoted the core socialist values, encompassing prosperity, equality, justice, freedom, integrity and social responsibility, encouraged innovation and creativity in the cultural sector, enhanced public cultural infrastructure, preserved and passed on the rich heritage of Chinese culture and civilization, and fostered the rapid development of cultural industries.

China has achieved remarkable progress in cultural development. By the end of 2024, China had 3,248 public libraries and nearly 44,000 local cultural centers, with library visits in 2024 reaching 1.34 billion -- more than double the 2014 figure.

Museums and other cultural relic institutions in 2024 hosted 30,000 displays and exhibitions and received 1.55 billion visits, up sharply from 840 million a decade earlier. And across the country, 12,900 intangible cultural heritage workshops have created jobs and boosted incomes for 1.2 million people.

These figures underscore the steady expansion of China's cultural resources, growing public engagement with heritage, and the economic dividends of a thriving cultural scene -- developments that have coincided with the rising global prominence of Chinese cultural products.

Over the past two years, "Ne Zha 2" has become one of the world's top-grossing animated films, and "Black Myth: Wukong," a game inspired by classical Chinese mythology, has earned international acclaim. Chinese web novels, micro-dramas, online games, and popular collectibles such as Labubu have continued to captivate audiences far beyond China.

The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan lays out concrete steps to further advance cultural development as part of China's broader modernization drive.

According to the blueprint, the country aims to continue strengthening the shared values, producing high-quality cultural works, and improving public services to ensure broader access to quality cultural goods.

Notably, the digital sphere features prominently in the plan. China seeks to foster new forms of literature and art for the public in the Internet era.

"In the social media era, the works of art enthusiasts can now reach a wide audience. Many are stepping out of the audience and onto the stage, shifting from spectators to performers and from admirers to creators," said renowned sculptor Wu Weishan, who is also a member of the top political advisory body.

Today, a delivery courier can share poetry online, a farmer can upload his singing from the fields, and a migrant worker can write stories from the factory floor, reaching vast audiences that once seemed far beyond their grasp.

Externally, the draft outline underscores cultural exchange and global engagement, encouraging Chinese cultural products and enterprises to go overseas and strengthening people-to-people exchanges across borders.

Interest in Chinese culture has also been rising globally in recent years, with terms such as "becoming Chinese" and "ChinaTravel" emerging as popular buzzwords on social media platforms.

Looking ahead, the coming five years will test whether China's development model -- anchored in both cultural and economic advancement -- can deliver resilience and confidence at home and recognition abroad.

"Chinese modernization requires not only abundant material wealth but also rich spiritual and cultural life," said Ouyang Qiansen, a national lawmaker and chairman of the Guizhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles.