The futuristic public culture facilities rising out of the countryside surrounding Shanxi province's capital Taiyuan should give a nod to the past - namely, the culture center of nearby Jinzhong city, which has served local communities for nearly 10 years.

Yuci Culture Art Center became the first facility of its kind, long before the construction of Taiyuan's new hypermodern opera house, and science and geography museums.

The center, which is in Jinzhong's Yuci district, about an hour and a half from Taiyuan, houses a free library, a theater, a cinema and other public services, such as a gym and a bookstore. It's a popular place for locals to spend their free time.

Cinema manager Liu Jianxin says it was unimaginable to have a cinema with six theaters, including a 3D hall, before the center was constructed.

"There were no cinemas in the city when I was a kid," Liu says. "We had to wait for the public movie screenings in the town square every month. We never could have imagined we'd have such a great cinema in the city."

It has state-of-the-art equipment and a contract with the Beijing New Movie Association that allows it to show the latest blockbusters.

Tickets are 30-50 yuan, so they remain affordable for ordinary residents. And the center stages screenings in surrounding villages, orphanages and prisons.

Residents also can easily access performance art with the more than 100 dramas, dances, classical music concerts and Peking Opera shows staged by the theater.

Many of the shows are recent works, the center's deputy director Shi Dongjun says.

Celebrated director, playwright and choreographer Zhang Jigang debuted his dance drama A Handful of Sour Dates, which portrays the Shanxi merchants, at the center.

It stages 10 performances every Spring Festival, so residents can enjoy symphony orchestras, modern dance, local operas and dramas during their holidays. Tickets sell out every year, Shi says.

"People need art in their lives," Shi says. "They need to experience it in a way that is high quality yet affordable. That's what this center is about."