[1] The responsibilities of the MOC, which were assumed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, encompassed cultural policy and activities in the country, including managing national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts (including censorship of visual, folk, theatrical, musical, dance, architectural, literary, televisual and cinematographic works); and managing the national archives and regional culture centers.

[3]: 48 On March 9, 1958, the Ministry of Culture held a meeting to introduce a Great Leap Forward in cinema.

[4]: 150  The number of film-screening venues, including both urban cinemas and mobile projectionist units that traveled through rural China, also radically increased during the this period.

[3]: 246 The duty of the ministry was to digitize and preserve public domain works, and make them available and accessible to every citizen.

China had millions of public domain works, including but not limited to books, pictures, music and films.