A meeting on the construction work of cultural halls takes place in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province on April 18. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

To date, East China's Zhejiang province has built 6,527 cultural halls in its rural areas, according to a meeting about the construction work held in Jiaxing on April 18.

The cultural hall is a type of public welfare cultural facility in rural areas of Zhejiang, and is expected to be a method of promoting rural civilization.

The meeting reviewed the progress and results of the development of rural cultural halls and mapped out plans for the establishment of a long-term mechanism to guarantee the sustainable development of the halls.

The rural cultural halls have been developing both in number and contents, and the social benefits are becoming obvious. According to a newly released government document, by 2020 Zhejiang will have built more than 10,000 high-level halls covering over 80 percent of the rural population.

The daily lives of villagers have been enriched by these facilities. Shen Meizhu, a villager from Jiaxing's Xin'gang village, said that it's enjoyable to learn various skills, such as calligraphy, painting, knitting and playing musical instruments, at the village's cultural hall every week.

All the halls are home to a kind, neighborly spirit as well as various achievements and examples of skill development.

Zhejiang province has been seeking a long-term management mechanism for rural cultural halls. Those in Hangzhou were evaluated by a multi-star system while Jiaxing employed young people through the halls to do work to invigorate the local rural culture. 

The measures have provided feasible solutions for the efficient operation of rural cultural halls and are easily accepted by young people, said Chen Ye, vice president of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences. 

The cultural hall in Haixing village of Ningbo city is a traditional Chinese-style architecture. To date, East China's Zhejiang province has built 6,527 cultural halls in its rural areas. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]