The Henan Academy of Social Sciences issued the Annual Report on the Cultural Development of Henan (2017) on July 17.

The report consists of four major parts—overview, cultural undertakings, cultural industry and special topics—and it offers a comprehensive introduction to the culture of the central China province in 2016. As the report reveals, Henan Province has made remarkable strides in cultural development in the past year.

Substantial construction has begun on the Traditional Chinese Cultural Legacy Innovative Zone, one of the five tasks of the State Council’s strategic plan for building the Central Plains Economic Region.

The Public Cultural Service System Pilot Zone is actively being promoted. Noteworthy progress has been made in cultural heritage protection work while the Intangible Cultural Heritage Database Project of Henan Province is being implemented.

According to the report, Henan’s cultural industry has made new breakthroughs. The value added in the cultural industry and related industries continues to grow at a rate of more than 12 percent annually. The soft power of Henan Province has also been strengthened as its influence in cultural communication expands.

But at the same time, Henan still lags behind the more developed provinces in terms of per capita GDP, limiting the capital available for investment in cultural development, according to the report. In light of a number of challenges that remain, Henan culture needs to adjust its concepts, innovate its model, optimize its environment and enhance its institutional systems to attain greater cultural development.