Chapter 2230

Speaking of this, Feng Lan blushed. She was the deputy county magistrate in charge of culture, education, and health, so she naturally knew better than anyone how the county's cultural undertakings were.

What could be called cultural undertakings in Chongjin County were just a theater troupe, a Xinhua Bookstore, a library, a cinema, a cultural center, and some cultural stations in each township. However, these units were all in a slump.

Don't even mention the theater troupe. Feng Lan had stayed in the theater troupe. She had once sung tea-picking opera, then became deputy head, head, and finally the director of the Cultural Bureau, and only then became this deputy county magistrate. She knew very well what the current situation of the theater troupe was.

And the Xinhua Bookstore was also not run well now, losing money every year because no one read books now, and fewer people bought books, while private bookstores were more prosperous than the state-run Xinhua Bookstore.

Don't even mention the library. It was originally a public welfare institution, but it hadn't had much funding in recent years, and there weren't many new books. Many of the books in the library were old books from twenty or thirty years ago, with no updates at all, and the facilities were also very dilapidated and backward.

The cinema was now deserted. Very few people watched movies now, and even if there were people watching movies, they were mostly couples talking about love in the cinema, with their minds not on the movie at all.

The cultural center was also desolate. The people in the center were either on unpaid leave or resigned to go into business. Why? Because the efficiency was not good, and there was no money to earn.

In fact, there were really some talents in the cultural center—people who painted, played the piano, etc. There were quite a few artistic talents. Now many of them went to run training classes. Parents now were willing to spend money on their children, and running training classes earned more money than working in the cultural center.

Regarding this current situation, Feng Lan naturally thought about changing it, but how could she change it? Chongjin County had no money. If you have no money, no matter how many ideas you have, it's useless; you can't realize them.

However, no matter what, Feng Lan was the deputy county magistrate in charge of culture, education, and health. If cultural undertakings were not developed well, she certainly had responsibility. Therefore, hearing Su Xinghui mention this, she blushed.

Feng Lan said, "County Magistrate, I have responsibility for this issue."

Su Xinghui waved his hand and said, "Now is not the time to talk about responsibility. You certainly have responsibility, but in the past, Chongjin County's economy was not good, so naturally, culture was not good either. In the future, when the economy develops, you must also develop cultural undertakings."

Feng Lan nodded and said, "County Magistrate, don't worry. As long as there is sufficient funding, I, Feng Lan, have this confidence. Just say it, where do you want to start?"

Su Xinghui said, "County Magistrate Feng, I heard that you stayed in the theater troupe before, right?"

Feng Lan said, "Yes, I sang tea-picking opera and was also the head of the theater troupe."

Su Xinghui said, "Then you must be very familiar with the theater troupe's business. Do you have any way to revitalize the theater troupe?"

Feng Lan became excited all of a sudden. She grew up in the theater troupe, so she naturally had feelings for it. In the beginning, she was able to stand out from the theater troupe because when she was singing, an old leader in the Chengshui area who liked tea-picking opera very much thought she sang well and praised her a few times, so she was promoted.

Therefore, for so many years, she still hadn't given up on this tea-picking opera.

Feng Lan said, "County Magistrate, do you really want to revitalize the theater troupe?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Of course it's true. I found in the townships below that this tea-picking opera still has a very strong mass foundation among the common people of Chongjin County and is popular among the masses. If it is allowed to wither away like this, it would be too regrettable."

Feng Lan said, "That's right, County Magistrate. This tea-picking opera is a unique genre in the northern part of our Jiangyou Province. The common people here all love to listen to it. Also, the theater troupe's Peking opera, Huangmei opera, etc., were all very popular in the past. If the theater troupe is really revitalized, it will definitely be very popular."

Su Xinghui said, "Then how did the theater troupe decline in the past?"

Feng Lan said, "It was mainly because of money. There was no money to rehearse new plays, and it was always those few old plays. Young actors couldn't keep up, and it all relied on some old actors to support it. When young actors finally grew up, they complained that the money was too little and left the theater troupe. Isn't that why it became more and more sluggish?"

Su Xinghui said, "Then how do you plan to revitalize the theater troupe in the future?"

Feng Lan said, "As long as there is a start-up fund, find a suitable person to be the head, rehearse a few new plays, and when the attendance rate goes up, there will naturally be income, and it can support itself. In this way, it will embark on a virtuous cycle. I have great confidence in the revitalization of the theater troupe."

Su Xinghui said, "Didn't you say there are no actors now?"

Feng Lan smiled and said, "Don't worry about actors. In the past, it was mainly because actors needed a staff establishment. Now, as long as the establishment is flexible, actors are everywhere. This tea-picking opera has too broad a mass foundation in our Chongjin County. Almost everyone in the countryside can sing a few lines. Among the more than 400,000 people in Chongjin County, isn't it simple to find a few good actors?"

Su Xinghui said, "Is it really that simple?"

Feng Lan said, "This is really not complicated. I was also from the countryside in the beginning. It was because I could sing tea-picking opera that I was spotted by the old head of the theater troupe at that time and recruited into the theater troupe. In fact, there are many people among the common people who sing opera well."

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "That's good. We can hold an open recruitment."

Feng Lan said, "There are also those old actors in the troupe. Although they have retired, their foundation is still there. They can completely be teachers, bring along these new actors recruited, and also set up a training class to train young students. In this way, there will always be fresh blood."

Su Xinghui said, "Your idea is quite good. I think it's feasible. The key is to rehearse some new plays that are close to the times and popular among the masses. As long as the script is good and the actors perform well, I believe the attendance rate will be very high. I ran to several villages in the past few days and found that they are all quite attentive to listening to opera."

Thinking that the theater troupe could be revitalized, Feng Lan was so happy that she couldn't help it. She said to Su Xinghui, "County Magistrate, then thank you!"

Su Xinghui said, "County Magistrate Feng, don't be polite. I have the responsibility to do a good job in the county's work, so you will have to work hard on this matter."

Feng Lan smiled and said, "This is my duty."

Su Xinghui said, "Also, other cultural undertakings in the county, such as the library, cultural center, and township cultural stations, must all be done well to enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the people. You must make a plan for all of these and report it to me."

Feng Lan's eyes became brighter and brighter. This young County Magistrate Su really had a big hand. Many of the cultural tasks were purely investment, without any return in terms of economic benefits, and the investment was very large, so previous county magistrates were not very willing to invest in this area.

This also caused culture, education, and health work to be unpopular work. But I didn't expect that County Magistrate Su Xinghui valued this aspect of work so much and was willing to invest in it. With a large investment, Feng Lan's power naturally became greater, and she also had the confidence to do this work well. With money, culture is a completely different thing with investment and without investment.

Feng Lan nodded happily and said, "Fine, I will definitely make a plan and report it to you as soon as possible."

Su Xinghui said, "Also, health work is also under your charge. The county's hospitals and the township health centers below must all be built well to improve medical and health conditions. These are all related to the vital interests and happiness of the people."

Feng Lan was a little worried. Su Xinghui's investment this time was so large. Does the county have so much money? These things are purely investment, and there is basically no possibility of economic return.

After Feng Lan raised this question, Su Xinghui smiled and said, "County Magistrate Feng, you don't need to worry about this issue. Earning money is my business, and spending money is your business. You must spend this money well, but I have one thing to say first: this money cannot be spent indiscriminately; it must be spent effectively."

Although Su Xinghui said this with a smile, Feng Lan could naturally hear the warning in his words. Although this County Magistrate Su was young, he couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes. Feng Lan naturally didn't dare to neglect.

Feng Lan nodded and said, "County Magistrate, I know. Don't worry. When the time comes, I will take the initiative to ask auditors to audit these projects."

Su Xinghui smiled and nodded, saying, "Fine, County Magistrate Feng, this is your main work recently. You must grasp it tightly." ===== CHAPTER 2232 =====