China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) is a national non-governmental organization founded with the approval of the state in July 1949, three months before the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Its mission is to unite and serve writers and artists, to train literary and art talents, and to promote the development and prosperity of literature and arts.

The CFLAC National Congress is held once every five years. Deputies are from all over the country, including those from the regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. A national committee is constituted by election, and the national committee elects a Presidium (including the president, vice presidents, and a number of members). GUO Moruo, ZHOU Yang, CAO Yu, ZHOU Weizhi and SUN Jiazheng served successively as president of CFLAC, and the incumbent president is TIE Ning. Under the presidium there is an Executive Committee to handle CFLAC’s daily work.

CFLAC practices group membership. Currently CFLAC has 55 group members, including 13 national associations of writers and artists (of which China Writers Association is an independent administrative organization), 32 provincial federations of literary and art circles, 10 national federations of industrial/vocational nature, and China Literary and Art Volunteers’ Association. Within the framework of CFLAC, besides the 12 national associations directly under CFLAC, there are 8 functional departments and 8 units. In addition, a total of over 30 newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses are run by the related associations, departments and units.

CFLAC’s major missions are to enhance the unity of artists, establish networks through coordination and professional guidance, undertake membership administration, promote self-discipline, safeguard the rights and interests of writers and artists and provide them with service in need. CFLAC is supposed to perform the following duties: holding professional art festivals and non-profit literary and art events; running competitions, review and research activities of literary and art circles; organizing writers and artists to go into the thick of life for creation; providing voluntary services, training literary and art professionals; safeguarding and protecting the legal rights and interests of writers and artists; and launching international cultural exchanges as well as the cultural exchanges with the regions of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

CFLAC’s fund comes from the government, membership fees and public donations.

The CFLAC’s Headquarters, known as “Home of Chinese Artists,” stands to the west of the Olympic Green in Beijing and has a floor space of 54,000 square meters. It is a multi-functional complex as an office building and a center for art exchanges.