Culture-related expenses such as education and entertainment took 830 billion yuan (US$103.75 billion) out of Chinese pockets last year, said a report issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Thursday.

"Among the total spending, education always takes the largest part, occupying about 50 percent," Zhang Xiaoming, chief editor of the report, was quoted by Friday's Beijing Morning Post as saying.
 
Titled Development Report on China's Cultural Industry: 2006, the document summarizes the industry's pros and cons in the past five years and draws a blueprint for the coming five years.

The report estimated that in 2006 the online game market value will reach 8.03 billion yuan (around US$1 billion) with global revenue scoring US$5.6 billion.

China's film market raked in more than two billion yuan (around US$250 million) in 2005, of which domestic films accounted for 60 percent and once again surpassed their imported counterparts, the report said.

"Film has become a daily consumption item and a major part of the zeitgeist," says the report.

However, among Beijingers, the number of movie-goers has seen a decline, going from 17.8 percent in 2003 to 2004's 12.4 percent and 12.2 percent in 2005.

Experts explained that apart from rampant piracy and illegal downloading, the face-saving psychology of "having seen the film" has made some Beijingers think that going to the cinema is "not necessary", disregarding the aesthetic acquired only at cinemas.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2006)