The highest cultural administrative organ in China is the Ministry of Culture, which is a functioning ministry under the State Council and is in charge of cultural and artistic undertakings throughout the country.(Fig.3-1)

Major duties of the Ministry of Culture are: research and stipulate principles , policies and regulations for cultural work; make development strategy and plan of cultural undertakings; instruct the cultural system reform; administrate literature and artistic undertakings, instruct artistic creation and production, support representative, pilot or experimental work , and accelerate artistic development of various kinds; administrate nationwide cultural activities; stipulate plan and policy for cultural industries and guide and coordinate their development; plan and instruct key projects of cultural facilities; administrate cultural market and make development plan; research the development tendency of cultural   responsible for inspection of the market; administrate social cultural under takings, make plans and organize to carry the out, and guide the construction and development of various social cultural undertakings; administrate libraries by instructing the building, development and use of book and document resources and accelerating the standardization and modernization of libraries; administrate cultural work for overseas, make policies and regulations on cultural exchanges with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Macao and Taiwan, sign cultural cooperation agreements and annual plans with foreign countries on behalf of the state, and instruct the work of cultural department under Chinese embassies and in the HKSAR and Macao; administrate the State Relics Protection Bureau according to regulations of the State Council; and do other work handed over by the State Council.

The Ministry of Culture is divided into the following 10 functioning departments according to the above-mentioned duties.

1. General Office  
This office is established to help ministry leaders summarize, coordinate, supervise and inspect relevant work; stipulate internal rules and regulations and make annual work plan; coordinate institutional affairs; and do institutional administrative work.

2. Department of Policies and Regulations  
The task of this department is to research and make cultural development strategies, long-term development plan and annual implementation plan; research and make policies for cultural and artistic work ; stipulate and organize to carry out cultural legislative plan and draft comprehensive cultural laws and regulations; draft significant documents and reports for the ministry; and deliver news to the press.

3. Department of Planning and Finance  
This department makes cultural economic policies; supervises the financial work of cultural enterprises and institutions directly under the Ministry of Culture; administrates funds for cultural, educational, scientific research and foreign affairs undertakings; stipulates standards for cultural facilities and plans and guides the construction; and instructs the basic construction and real estate management of the institutions and organizations direct1y under the ministry.

4. Department of Personnel  
The task for this department is to research, make and carry out cultural and artistic personnel development plan; accelerate the personnel system reform in cultural institutions; be in charge of the 119 personnel work in the ministry and institutions directly under the ministry; end personnel to the cultural department of Chinese embassies abroad; and examine the credentials of state-level cultural organizations.

5. Arts Department  
The task for this department is to be in charge of literature and artistic undertakings, and make and carry out development plans; guide artistic creations and production and coordinate the structure and distribution of cultural undertakings; research and instruct the reform in the field; coordinate major artistic activities including national competitions, exhibitions and non-profitable performances; and instruct the work of institutions directly under the ministry.

6. Department of Education and Sciences  
The task of this department is to research, make and carry out development plan for artistic education in colleges and schools under the ministry, cultural, scientific and technological development plan and annual executive plan; coordinate the research key state cultural and artistic projects and spread of achievements; provide cultural, scientific and technologic at services; and instruct the artistic education system reform and work in colleges and schools under the ministry.

7. Department of Cultural Market Administration  
The task of this department is to research and make administrative policies and regulations for cultural market, cultural products in circulation and cultural entertainment activities, and be in charge of supervising the implementation; administrate performance market and cultural entertainment market; administrate the wholesale and retail sales, renting and show of audio and video products; administrate the import of audio and video products; research the development tendency of cultural market; and instruct the inspection of cultural market and film release and show.

8. Department of Cultural Industry  
The task of this department is to research and make development plan as well as policies and regulations for the cultural industry; support and accelerate the development and building of cultural industry; and coordinate problems propping up during the operation of cultural industry.

9. Department of Social Culture and Library Administration  
The task for this department is to administrate social cultural undertakings , and research, make and carry out development plans for social cultural undertakings including mass cultural, minority nationality culture, culture for kids and libraries; instruct popularization of culture and art; guide the construction, development and use of book and document resources; improve cooperation among libraries and accelerate their standardization and modernization; instruct protection of ancient books and documents; and coordinate major national social cultural activities.

10. Bureau for External Cultural Relations
(Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Cultural Affairs)  
This department is in charge of foreign affairs in cultural work and cultural exchanges with the HKSAR, Macao and Taiwan; making policies and regulations for this work; signing cultural cooperation agreement between China and foreign countries and carrying out annual executive plan and plans for cultural exchange programs; conducting liaison work with Cultural department under Chinese embassies abroad; instructing the work of cultural institutions in the HKSAR and Macao; and publicity work to foreign countries

11. State Bureau of Cultural Relics  
The State Bureau of Cultural Relics (SBCR) is an administrative organ under the Ministry of Culture in charge of relics and museum work in China. (Fig.3-2) Its major tasks are to: research and make principles, policies, regulations and plans for relics and museum development, and stipulate and carry out related systems; instruct and coordinate in work of relics management, protection, save, excavation, research, publicity and going abroad; examine and report key state relics protection departments ; be in charge of examining and reporting historical cultural cities and work cultural legacy projects; examine or approve the excavation, protection and maintenance of key state relics; instruct the construction of big museums and cooperation and exchanges among museums; research and handle significant problems in relics protection ; research and stipulate management methods of relics circulation; approve the establishment and cancel of institutions engaging in export appraisal of relics; make budget for relics protection funds and examine, allocate and supervise the funds; train relics and museum personnel; organize and instruct research of relics protection and museums ; administrate and instruct foreign affairs work and carry out cooperation and exchanges; and do other work handed over by the State Council and the Ministry of Culture.

According to the above-mentioned duties, SBCR has set up three functioning departments under it:

(1) General Office (Department of Personnel)Its task is to coordinate and supervise the work of the bureau; help leaders of bureau to handle daily work, be in charge of secretary, petition letters and institutional affairs and financial work; draft principles, policies and regulations for relics and museum development; make long-term development plan for relics and museum development; do theoretic research and publicity work; be in charge of the personnel and financial work in the bureau and institutions directly under the bureau; administrate and instruct relics and museum cooperation and exchanges with foreign countries; make budget for relics and museum development, make plan for special funds for key state relics protection and supervise to carry them out; and be in charge of the daily work of the Party committee of the bureau. (2) Relics Protection Department .The tasks for this department are to: research and instruct relics protection and rescue work; stipulate standards for quality of relevant projects ; examine and report key state relics protection units and examine and report historical cultural cities and world cultural legacy projects ;examine or approve the excavation, protection and maintenance project of key state relics; organize and instruct the proof, design, construction, quality supervision and acceptance of key state relics protection projects; approve credentials for maintenance of relics buildings, design and excavation; stipulate management methods of relics circulation; organize and conduct relics appraisal; save and recover precious relics from society ; approving relics to go abroad; coordinate relations with international relics protection organizations; and handle significant problems in relics protection; (3) Department of Museums .The tasks for this department are to: make museum development plan; examine the construction plan of state-level museums, instruct work of big museums, and be in charge of recording, allocation and exchanges of top-level relics storages; instruct the work of museums directly under the bureau; get in touch with the Chinese Museum Society and related international organizations to conduct work and academic exchanges; train specialized relics and museum personnel; instruct scientific research in relics protection and museum; supervise and inspect security work for relics and in museums; and be in charge of setup relics and museum information network and instruct the operation.
Laws and Regulations on Cultural Exchanges with Foreign Countries
Cultural Institutions Directly Under the Ministry of Culture