China had a total of 3,246 public libraries by the end of 2023, with a total national collection of 1.44 billion books, which represented an increase of 5.6% year-on-year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Friday. According to the 2023 statistics on cultural and tourism development, by the end of 2023, the average public library space per 10,000 people was 160.3 square meters, an increase of 11.7 square meters from the previous year. By the end of 2023, China had a total of 18,000 performing arts groups, employing 385,000 people, according to the data. Over the year, they staged 2.542 million performances, attracting 900 million domestic audience members, with total revenue from performances reaching 20.78 billion yuan (US$2.93 billion). A total of 1,993 original productions and 3,805 original programs had their premieres throughout the year. Shenzhen, aiming to be a “City of Libraries” since 2003, had 1,086 public libraries by the end of 2023, comprising 768 physical establishments and 307 self-service libraries. With an impressive ratio of 1.63 libraries per 10,000 individuals and around 292 square meters of library space per 10,000 individuals, Shenzhen stands among the global frontrunners in library accessibility and infrastructure. (Xinhua) | 