Arts even more key after poverty victory

Literature and arts can play an even more important role as China has clinched victory in eradicating absolute poverty and entered the stage of rural vitalization, said Fan Di'an, member of the CPPCC National Committee, at an interview on Thursday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

"Chinese literature and arts have the tradition of building up the spiritual value and meaning of life, and excellent artworks play an important role in boosting mental strength," said Fan, who is also chairman of the China Artists Association and dean of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Fan said that in the past years, writers and artists have visited many impoverished places to witness poverty alleviation efforts, inspiring them to produce an abundance of works of literature and art.

Those works have resonated with audiences, and people love works which depict the reality of people's lives, tell the truth and reveal true feelings, he said.

"On the other hand, we need to tell more stories about millions of poverty relief cadres and hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers," Fan told the media before sitting at the opening ceremony of the fourth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

He said that writers and artists can participate in the construction of rural civilization by studying local culture and protecting villages' history, especially the precious ancient dwellings and culture.

"The villages are rich in traditional ethnic handicrafts and intangible cultural heritage, which need to be enlivened to facilitate the revitalization of rural cultural industries," he said.