Shenzhen will soon be home to an opera house and a new modern arts center bringing culture to a city that already exudes class, but is seeking to broaden its cultural image.

The two landmark structures will be built over the next five years, said Chen Wei, chief of the culture bureau, yesterday.

So far the bureau has selected the locations of the two new buildings, and is working on the design and budget, according to Chen.

The opera house, to be located by the seaside along Binhai Thoroughfare, will stage world-class opera performances to cater to the local audience. The modern arts center, to be built near the Citizen's Center, is expected to organize exhibitions and performances of modern arts.

"With these two buildings, we want to improve the cultural and artistic tastes of residents and build the city into one with distinctive cultural characteristics, like London, Paris and Vienna," said Chen.

The city is also going to build a new complex for the Shenzhen Museum, a children's library, and a new campus for the Shenzhen Arts School. The central library, a new music hall and the Grand Theater, which are now under construction or renovation, will open by the end of this year.

All of these new projects will be included in a public culture service system in Shenzhen, a new concept recently introduced by the culture bureau.

"This system will be the core of all cultural works in Shenzhen this year. We hope to set up a strong cultural system, which can help strengthen the cultural contents in the city and benefit all Shenzheners," said Wang Jingsheng, head of the publicity department of the municipal committee of the CPC.

Such a cultural system will include a rich variety of facilities, services, funds and policies. The major objective of the system is to guarantee residents' rights to use cultural facilities, Wang said.

"We'll work out measures to make sure all people can access cultural services. Highlights of the measures include several schools for senior citizens, libraries and performances accessible to migrant workers, and cultural activities in residential estates," he said.

Editor: Yan