The Chinese government has announced plans to establish 100 “cultural heritage” centres at universities throughout the country that will run academic programmes and conduct scientific research in a bid to promote traditional Chinese culture.
The ministry of education said that it will “build about 100 excellent Chinese traditional cultural heritage sites” in universities and colleges nationwide by 2020, including 50 this year, and support institutions to “focus on ethnic folk music, ethnic folk arts” and folk dances, dramas and operas.
It said that these centres would run optional credit-bearing programmes for students and conduct scientific research.
The announcement also encourages universities to hire folk artists as visiting professors.
The ministry said that it wanted to “promote the integration of excellent Chinese traditional culture into college education” and “lead students” to “learn Chinese wisdom, promote Chinese spirit [and] spread Chinese values”.
It has been seen as a move to counter the growing popularity among young people of culture from the West and other Asian nations.
