City of culture: Shanghai builds on its artistic achievements
Press conference for the city's public cultural facility and service
A batch of new public cultural facilities in the city will start construction at the end of this month, officials said on Monday.
Among the facilities are the east branch of Shanghai Museum, the east branch of Shanghai Library, and Cheng Shifa Art Gallery.
The Shanghai Symphonic Music Museum will open to the public on October 1. The museum is the first of its kind in the country themed on symphonic music. Relics such as time-honored musical autographs, scores and instruments of celebrities will be displayed.
Construction for the new site for Shanghai Children's Library is also expected to start by the end of this year. It will be located in Putuo District's Changfeng area.
Covering an area of 6,000 square meters, it will be an "intelligent library" that offers children multiple options for reading and studying.
Yu Xiufen, director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV, said the library is expected to open by the end of 2020.
It will target children from 4 to 16 years old. The old site, located on Nanjing Road West will be reserved for children under 3 years old.
Shanghai has made huge advances in building public cultural facilities in the past five years.
The city offers a total of 77 art galleries, 125 museums, 240 libraries, 293 cinemas and 141 theaters.
Since its launch in March last year, the digital cultural service platform "Culture Shanghai Cloud" has now developed around 1.7 million users. Yu said that the platform will continue to provide latest cultural information and resources for local people.
Additionally, authorities will also offer more discounted tickets for the performances and programs of the 19th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, to be held from October 20 to November 19.
