Chinese Culture Minister slams media for passing "cheap entertainment as culture"

New Delhi, August 7 (ANI): Chinese Culture Minister Cai Wu has slammed the country's broadcasters and publishers, calling their output 'vulgar' and 'kitsch', and for passing on "cheap entertainment as culture".

"Vulgar publications are an unfortunate result of China's market-oriented economic reforms, where a profit-oriented system passed off cheap entertainment as culture," Xinhua quoted Cai, as saying.

"We publish more than 300,000 books every year, but how many of them could be compared with the scriptures inherited from our ancestors?" Cai asked.

He also posed a question saying, "We produce some 400 movies and hundreds of TV drama programmes each year, but how many of them will be recognised as classics?"

He further blamed the local governments for spending money on vanity projects such as flashy new buildings, instead of basic cultural facilities.

"In today's world, a country's culture and economy are inseparable. A government must pay more attention to culture and originality if it wants to improve the quality of economic development." Cai insisted. (ANI)