I agree with the statement. Maybe invest in the athletics will show its effects more quickly and directly, liking gaining more Olympics medals and popularizing certain sports among people. But I think spending more money in support of the arts has a deeper influence in the long run.

Fristly, Arts represent the spirit of a country or ethnicity in some way. Nowadays we still trace and update our identity by exploring historic heritages that left by our ancestors, such as paintings, porcelain and statues. It helps us to learn our countries and cultures, enhancing our esteem of being a citizen. So encouraging the development of arts can help our offsprings to know us better in the same way.

Secondly, Thanks to the rapid development of Internet, communication between people with different culture backgrounds be easier than ever. It also brings the risk of losing domestic cultures. In this case, spending more money on arts could be considered a way to defend the invasion of other cultures. Recent years Chinese young generations showed a lot enthusiasm with the Western festivals, like Halloween and Christmas but neglected the Chinese traditional festivals. The government also noticed that and had implemented a series of measures to improve the situation. They used the social media to introduce the history of these festivals and held some activities both online and offline to attract people get involved in the festivals. Gradually, people know their own festivals more and be willing to engage .

Last but not least, arts is a great tool for people to seek the peace of mind. Nowadays, people intend to find peace from the hustle and bustle of city life and mental health has developed to a considerable issue. Getting touch with arts is a effective way to release stresses from the work and life, like listening music, drawing a painting, going to gallery or concert at the weekend. When people have a healthy mentality, they will be more productive and creative. it also benefits country's development in long term.

These three above reasons show why I think government should spend more money in support arts than athletics.