Quantifying culture, China has data. From China Daily (photo: a book store in Beijing, via China Bookstore):
Chinese people spent more money on culture in 2006; however, compared to people in other countries with the same level of development, cultural consumption remains low. It is estimated that only one fourth the demand for culture among the country’s 1.3 billion people is being satisfied.
This is according to the 2007 Blue Book of China’s Culture, which reports on developments in China’s cultural industry, released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on Tuesday.
The Blue Book says Chinese citizens spent a total of 937 billion yuan (117 billion US dollars) on culture in 2006. The figure includes money spent on education, entertainment and cultural activities, with education accounting for around half of all spending. The analysis is based on data compiled by the National Statistic Bureau. [Full Text]
