Chinese President Xi Jinping urged China's artists on Wednesday not to become lost in the market economy and encouraged them to create "artistically outstanding and morally inspiring" works that serve the people.

Analysts believe that the speech is a signal from the top leader to change the art industry, which they say has attached excessive significance to making money.

"Artists should not lose themselves in the tide of the market economy nor go astray while answering the question of 'whom to serve'…Socialist culture and art is, in essence, the culture and art of the people," Xi said at a symposium attended by some of the country's most renowned writers, actors, playwrights and dancers in Beijing.

Xi called on artists to produce works that "disseminate contemporary Chinese values, embody traditional Chinese culture, reflect the Chinese people's aesthetic pursuits, and are of intellectual, artistic, and exhibitory importance."

Art should also have patriotism as its main theme and foster "correct viewpoints" of history, nationality and culture, according to Xi.

"It is of great significance that Xi emphasized mainstream values in art. The public's taste in art has been debased since the industrialization of the art industry, and the industry now worships profits. Art is no longer about spiritual pleasure, it is a tool to make money by any means," Zhang Peng, an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times.

Ying Xiaoqiang, a Hangzhou-based media observer and micro-film producer, echoed Zhang's words. "This is the best encouragement we could expect from the top leader," Ying told the Global Times.

"Hopefully, it may influence the policies of local governments, who are emphasizing the economic profits yielded by the art industry instead of its purpose - to serve the people," Zhang noted.

The speech was also in line with Xi's anti-bureaucracy campaign, asking artists to answer "whom they serve," as some make their art to meet the demands of officials rather than for the people, Ying added.

Xi's remarks came after a series of scandals recently hit China's art industry, whose image has been damaged by incidents of drug usage and prostitution.

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has ordered TV stations and other media outlets to stop broadcasting shows featuring artists who have broken the law.

The move came after several actors were detained for soliciting prostitutes or possessing drugs, including Jaycee Chan, son of Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan.

"There may be stricter supervision on media outlets in the future, which could be a good thing, if the authorities select movies and TV shows of high [artistic] quality," Ying added.