The China Federation of literary and Art Circles(CFLAC) is a non_governmental organization composed of nationwide associations of writers and artists,federations of literary and art circles in the provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government and those in staye_level industrail sectors.Established in Iuly 1949 on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China(October 1,1949),the CFLAC was one of the initiators initiating the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

    The CFLAC practices a group membership. It now consists of fifty group members, including China Writers Association (which is administratively independent), China Theatre Association, China Film Association, China Musicians Association, China Artists Association, China Quyi Artists association, China Dancers Association, China Folk Literature and Art
Association, China Photographers Association, China calligraphers Association, China Acrobats Association, China TV Artists Association, 31 federations of literary and art circles in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central govenment, the Literary and Art Federation of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and
federations of literary and art circles in 6 industries (China Coal Mine federation of
Literary and Art Circles, China Railway federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Petroleum federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Chemical Industrial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Electrical Power Association of Literary and Aat Workers, and China Water Conservancy Association of Literary and Art Workers ). The CFLAC undertakes
liaison, coordination and service work among various group members and helps them with matters that need overall arrangement.

    The supreme organs of the CFLAC are its national congress and the national committee it elects. The National Coedttee elects a president, a number of vice Presidents and Presidium members to form the presidium, under which there is a secretariat in charge of the day-to-day operations. If necessary, subsidiary organs may be established.

    CFLAC uses Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory as its guideline, and adheres to Jiang Zemin's important thinking of the "three represents". It adheres to the Party's basic line, follows the guideline that art should serve the people and socialism, and observes the principle of letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend. It observes the Constitution and the law, and is dedicated to promoting socialist literary and art causes and developing a modern, world- and future-orientated socialist culture with Chinese characteristics that is national, scientific and popular. It works hard for socialist ideological and ethical progress and the realization of socialist modernization.

    For more than fifty years, under the guidance of the CFLAC,the nationwide associations of writers and artists have conducted various activities. For example, they organized writers and artists to study and discuss all kinds of subjects and to organize various theatrical performance workshops. They have held art exhibihons, academic symposia and forums, and have assisted in selecting recipients of the thirteen national and professional awards
covering all forms of art. They have offered classes and lectures intended to train successors in the world of literature and art, and have held activities in memory of cultural celebrihes. To enable writers and artists to maintain close ties with the community and to produce more works unifying ideological awareness, artistic standards and enjoyment, the CFLAC encourages and often organizes writers and artists to go to the general public -visit factories, mines, rural areas, army and frontier regions - to explore real life and give the people needed help.

    The CFLAC and its national associations publish over thirty literary and artistic magazines and newspapers, including the China Arts Gazette, and operate seven publishing houses for books and audio-video products and a film and television center. The local federations and associations also have their own literary and artistic publications.

    The CFLAC safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of its group members, writers and artists, and improves their living and working conditions. It keeps in constant touch with them, listening attentively to their views. When they encounter Problems or difficulties, the CFLAC will promptly request the departments concerned to help them out. The CFLAC
actively promotes unity among artists of all Chinese ethnic groups and increases contacts with people and organizations in literary and art circles from among our Chinese compatriots in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and those residing abroad. It Promotes the development of the excellent Chinese national culture and the reunification of the country.

    The CFLAC carries out extensive external exchanges and actively encourages and organizes its group members to do so. Each year, it receives hundreds of foreign writers' and artists' delegations. At the same time, it organizes and sends an increasing number of Chinese writers and artists to foreign lands, where they carry on lively and vigorous exchanges in various forms with their foreign counterparts, thus furthering mutual friendship and cooperation between Chinese and foreign literary and art circles. I

    The funding of the CFLAC comes from state allocations, membership dues and donations from the public.