Weekly snapshot of Chinese culture news

The following are the highlights of China's key culture news from the past week:

-- China promotes TV, radio shows to rally morale in coronavirus battle

Around 180 television and radio shows will be broadcast without airing fees on television and radio stations across China from February to the end of August, according to the National Radio and Television Administration.

This comes as a result of a TV and radio shows promotion campaign launched by the administration to rally public morale in the battle against the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.

The shows cover a variety of topics ranging from culture, science, to education and health and include animation series and documentaries, among other works.

-- Epidemic-related TV programs gain in popularity amid coronavirus outbreak

The ratings of television programs related to epidemic prevention and control have continued to rise, while news programs have seen the biggest gains, said China's National Radio and Television Administration.

The ratings of the evening news on local satellite TV channels across China have increased significantly, with ratings in 12 provinces up more than 50 percent, according to the data.

The ratings of the evening news on satellite TV in the hardest-hit Hubei Province have gone up 531 percent, and the number of viewers has increased 906 percent, the data showed.