The Chinese government will spend about 21 billion yuan (3.4 billion U.S. dollars) on public culture services this year, 173 million yuan more than last year, authorities said Wednesday.

Of the total, about 5.16 billion yuan will be used for free admissions to museums, memorials, galleries and libraries, said the Ministry of Finance.

Around 310 million yuan will go to remote regions and 2.5 billion yuan will help projects involving minority languages and ethic groups.

China vowed to deepen its cultural system reform and build the country into a socialist cultural power in a key document published by the Communist Party of China in November 2013.