ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the dimensions of culture policy and culture politics on the axis of the central-local relationship in China. It argues that while political indoctrination and regime legitimacy are the main concerns of culture policy at the central level, market enlargement has become the focus of endeavor for local governments in China. The center's culture policy is used as an instrument to consolidate the control of the party-state, but local governments define and interpret culture in a way that demonstrates another dimension of China's culture policy. Based on Chinese cultural tradition, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) needs to propagate the "main melody, and communicate positive energies". The chapter explores both the continuity and the change in central policies concerning cultural indoctrination, especially the new policies formulated by the Xi Jinping administration. It also argues that the dual-track tendencies of the central and local governments demonstrate a unique Chinese model of interactive implementation.
