Shenzhen has complete public cultural facilities, providing splendid art activities. Both elegant elite arts and popular culture cultivate locals' tastes, which makes Shenzhen a kind of cultural oasis.

Cultural and Art Industries

Shenzhen features a unique special economic zone culture. With a perfect public cultural service network and developed cultural facilities, the city has 20 museums and memorial halls. All the people in the city can receive radio and TV transmissions. All the municipal public cultural venues are open to the public free of charge. Locals can also appreciate concerts performed by domestic and foreign troupes at the high-class Shenzhen Concert Hall.

City of Libraries

There are 618 public libraries around the city, including two of municipal level, six of district level, 51 of subdistrict level and 536 of community level. The public libraries house 14 million books, attracting 17.156 million readers in 2008. More and more residential communities operate 24-hour self-service libraries.

City of Pianos

Thanks to Shenzhen Art School, Shenzhen's piano education level tops the nation. A string of piano talent, including Li Yundi, Chen Sa, Zhang Haochen, Gu Jingdan and Pan Linzi and instructed by Professor Dan Zhaoyi, have garnered awards in prestigious international contests. Piano education is growing more and more popular among Shenzhen primary and middle school students. Piano ownership amounts to 8.2 pianos for every 100 Shenzhen families. Many piano masters have made Shenzhen their career development base.

Cultural and Art Facilities

Museums

There are 22 museums (including memorial halls) around the city, housing 40,169 pieces. Built in February 1984, the Shenzhen Museum opened in November 1988, housing more than 20,000 pieces. The New Shenzhen  Museum, the country's first museum featuring the history of reform and opening up, opened on Dec. 25, 2008 in the east wing of Citizens' Center. With a floor space of more than 30,000 square meters, the new museum exhibits the city's history of reform and opening up, ancient relics and folk customs.

Art Galleries

There are four art venues in the city, including Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen Fine Art Institute and He Xiangning Art Museum.

Performance Venues

There are 25 performance venues in the city. Built in 1984, the Shenzhen Grand Theater is an important venue for hosting art performances and big events. Covering 43,577 square meters, the theater has 1,199 seats. Opening in October 2007, the Shenzhen Concert Hall has 1,680 seats and a floor space of 47,000 square meters.

Cultural Halls

There are 62 cultural halls around the city, covering a floor space of more than 250,000 square meters.

Cultural Squares

There are 381 cultural squares around the city, including 244 each with a floor space of  more than 1,000 square meters. The squares serve as important venues for locals to participate in cultural activities.

Cultural Activities

Reading Month

The Shenzhen Municipal Government sets every November as Reading Month, a cultural extravaganza in the city. With the longest duration of a cultural activity in the world, Reading Month features "I'm reading and I'm happy" as its theme. In 2008, there were more than 300 activities held at the ninth Reading Month, attracting more than 8 million locals.

Shenzhen Migrant Workers' Cultural Festival

In order to satisfy the cultural demand of migrant workers, the annual monthlong festival was launched in May 2005, featuring shows, movies, lectures and exhibitions all around the city, attracting more than 2 million people.

ICIF Art Festival

During the annual China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF), the ICIF Art Festival displays national entertainment shows for locals. In 2008, the city hosted 58 shows of 25 plays.