Establishment and Improvement of the Mechanisms for Directly Delivering Public Cultural Services to Grassroots Levels

[Purpose/Significance] Establishing and improving the mechanism for delivering public cultural services directly to the grassroots level is a key measure to promote balanced urban-rural cultural development and achieve high-quality public cultural services. [Method/Process] Based on the practical context of public cultural service construction in the new era, this study is a systematic review of the main actors and innovative practices in the Direct Delivery to the Grassroots of public cultural services. It deconstructs the core elements of establishing such a mechanism, and proposes evaluation criteria for improvement. [Results/Conclusions] 1) The study found that China's current construction of direct grassroots delivery mechanisms for public cultural services has formed a diversified model led by the government, public cultural institutions, and social forces. The government-led model, relying on strong administrative coordination and project-based operations, enables rapid and extensive service coverage. However, there are risks involved, such as prioritizing infrastructure development over sustained operations and facing challenges regarding long-term sustainability. Public cultural institutions achieve regular delivery of resources and services to grassroots levels through central-branch systems, though their effectiveness heavily depends on the central institution's coordination capabilities and the faithful implementation of institutional frameworks. The participation of social forces broadens the scope and forms of service delivery, yet the stability and public welfare orientation of their contributions are often vulnerable to market fluctuations and shifts in organizational strategies. 2) The study argues that the core of constructing a direct grassroots delivery mechanism requires three organically unified elements. First, we ensure the quality of the supplied content, that is, the resources must integrate ideological depth, popular appeal, and artistic value, in alignment with the guidance of socialist core values. Second, we must innovate the organizational methods of direct delivery channels. This can be done by exploring vertically managed central-branch systems, establishing distribution mechanisms with upward-shifted accountability, and refining systems for dispatching cultural coordinators. These changes will help overcome middle-level blockages in the resource delivery process. Finally, our goal is to achieve effective alignment between supply and demand. This involves implementing systems such as demand solicitation, menu-based distribution, and feedback evaluation, thereby shifting the service model from a government-centric approach to a citizen-centric one and fostering a virtuous cycle of precise matching. 3) The study proposes that the evaluation criteria for improving institutional mechanisms encompass four dimensions. First, service effectiveness measured by public satisfaction, social impact, and the replicability of the model. Second, cost controllability, which involves exploring sustainable operational models to reduce excessive reliance on fiscal support. Third, grassroots capacity with a focus on strengthening the ability of township (sub-district) comprehensive cultural stations to serve as hubs for resource integration and distribution. Fourth, sustainable safeguards, which entails transitioning from campaign-style investments toward institutionalized and legally supported mechanisms, reinforced by standardization and broader participation of social forces, to foster a stable and enduring developmental framework.