China sees improved quality, rising number of cultural products

China saw improved quality and an increasing number of cultural products in 2018, said Luo Shugang, China's minister of culture and tourism, on Wednesday.

China's box office raked in 60.9 billion yuan (about $9 billion) in 2018, said Luo when briefing Chinese lawmakers on a report on cultural industry development.

In 2018, China produced over 1,000 movies, and a total of 323 TV series were finished producing and granted distribution licenses, according to the report.

From 2015 to 2017, China produced a total of 4,499 original plays, and the number of performances staged by art groups nationwide raised from 2.1 million to 2.9 million, it said.

The report also showed that, between 2012 and 2018, the number of different types of book publications rose from 414,000 to 519,000 and the number of periodical types increased to about 10,139.

China ranks first in the world in book publishing, TV series production and broadcasting, according to the report.

The country also has the largest number of film screens, making it the world's second largest film market, it added.

The report was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for review at its ongoing bimonthly session.

The legislative session will run until Saturday.