Chinese Premier Li Keqiang vowed to "provide rich cultural nourishment to help our people to live better lives" and "see that art and literature flourish" in the government work report released on March 5.

China enjoys a flourishing culture. However, the imbalanced and inadequate development of the culture-related market and industry is still far from meeting people's expectations. For example, although China has long been the largest producer of TV series in the world, around half of its new television series never even reach people's screens due to problems with quality, resulting in huge wastage. Domestic TV series of premium quality are lacking and the quality of cultural products should be improved to boost the creation of art and literature and satisfy people's needs.

A people-centered approach should be adopted in the creation of cultural works. A number of TV shows, dramas and films have been successful because they have won the recognition of the people. There is no lack of stories and materials that have the potential to be developed into classic cultural products today. Only works which reflect people's lives and meet their needs can touch audiences.

In creating TV programs, quality should be made the highest priority. For instance, the TV series Journey to the West, adapted from the eponymous novel written in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), had taken years to be produced under a tight budget.

Writers and artists should produce more masterpieces by representing ordinary people's lives and improving the quality of their work.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article published in Guangzhou Daily on March 8)