BEIJING - Chinese authorities pumped 49.47 billion yuan ($7.94 billion) into the cultural sector in 2012, up 18.9 percent from 2011, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Thursday.

A total of 7.13 billion yuan was used to protect cultural relics and non-material cultural heritage, said a statement on the MOF website.

Ensuring people's free access to 1,804 museums and 40,000-plus galleries and libraries cost the government 4.89 billion yuan last year.

It spent 3.41 billion yuan on projects to extend radio and TV services to villages and share cultural services in various communities, and 4.03 billion yuan on boosting cultural activities in rural regions.

The government also injected 2.75 billion yuan to improve key media organization's abilities to communicate internationally, the statement said.