Tibet boasts a wealth of cultural relics. Archaeologists have discovered many cultural relics in Tibet in recent years. According to Shan Jixiang, Director of State Administration of Cultural Heritage, currently more than 2,300 unmovable historical sites have been registered in Tibet. According to statistics, there are a total 329 cultural protection sites in Tibet, 35 of them being nationally protected. Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka Palace are listed as World Cultural Heritage. Lhasa, Shigatse, Gyantse have been listed among Historic and Cultural Cities in China. In addition, there are also a large number of movable relics in Tibet, including kinds of official certificates and documents suggesting that Tibet has been under the jurisdiction of China ever since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

They are more than cultural heritage with extraordinary artistic value. They witnessed the historical transformation of Tibet over the past years and serve as solid evidence that Tibet has been part of China.

Searching cultural relics in Tibet

Since the mid-1970s, systematic plateau archeological studies have been carried out and several dozen cultural sites of the Stone Age excavated. All the unearthed cultural relics are carefully kept by the regional cultural relic management department, and these discoveries provide valuable materials for the study of primitive and traditional Tibetan culture.

The government launched two massive relic censuses across the whole country in 1956 and 1981, hoping to make it clear how many cultural relics China has. After unremitting efforts, this work paid off. Yet, it’s urgent to have another round of national relic survey as more than 20 years passed since the Second National Relic Census in 1981 and China has undergone enormous changes. In order to keep up with time, the State Administration of Culture Heritage initiated the Third National Relic Census in April 2007. The Third National Relic Census will last for five years till the end of 2011 and be undertaken in three stages. Preparation work including establishing specialized departments, initiating plans and staff training will be finished during the first stage. The second stage features field research and data collection. All the collected data will be gathered together, a data base will be built and the survey results will be released during the third stage.
Tibet is no exception. The Third National Relic Census is underway across the country. Linzhou County in Tibet was used as a trial. The relic survey was initiated there in September 2007 and has made remarkable achievements through March 2008. In an area of 4,512 sq meters, 211 relic sites have been discovered, including 66 ancient sites, 78 tombs, 45 archeological buildings, 9 grottoes and rock carvings and 13 historic sites and buildings in modern China. The regions in Tibet including Nyingchi, Chamdo, the eastern and central part of Nakchu will be the focus of the relic survey in 2008. The western and northern part of Nakchu, Ngari and Shigatse will be the focus in 2009. Lhasa and Shannan Lhoka will the focus in 2010.

Shan Jixiang, the Director of State Administration of Cultural Heritage, believes that the census will contribute a lot to the cultural heritage protection in Tibet.

The central government and the regional government of Tibet have always focused their efforts on cultural relic protection in Tibet. The central government has allocated 330 million yuan to renovating the Potala Palace, Norbulingka and Sakia Temple. The renovation work started in June 2002.

The renovation work on the Patala Palace is near completion, and Norbulingka, the world’s highest palace, has also been under renovation for years. The local government has also invested some 140 million yuan to renovate its surrounding areas. The Sakia Temple, one of the most important temples in Tibet, has also been renovated.

In addition to the Potala Palace, Norbulingka and Sakia Temple, nine more historical sites in Tibet have been listed as the key renovation projects during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010). They include Samye Temple and Trandruk Temple, Tashilumpo and Schalu Kloster, Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, Drepung Monastery and Sera Monastery, Site of the Anti-British War at Zongshan Mountain in Gyantse and Naining Temple, Namseling Manor and Lajiali Palace Site, Guge Site, Segegutuo Temple and Kejia Temple.
The traditional cultural heritage of Tibetans has been systematically investigated, collected, collated, published and studied. Tibetan Ancient Books Publishing House has collected more than 200 rare ancient books in Tibetan and collated and published a number of them. The Tibet People's Publishing House has pooled efforts to collate and publish a number of classics and booklets of historical archives. By the end of 1990, more than a million copies of 200 ancient Tibetan books had been distributed. Tibetan classics, which only existed in hand-written and engraved forms and were neglected for several hundred years, now, for the first time, have been printed in copies with exquisite binding.

Marked achievements have also been made in the collection and collation of Tibetan folk literature, drama, music and choreography. More than 20 writings and books on Tibetan folk culture have been published. King Gesar, the world's longest epic created by the Tibetan people, existed only in oral memory among the Tibetan people and was performed using dialogue and singing. Today, the retrieval, collation and study of this epic has been included in the state's key social science research projects, and a special institution has been founded to take charge of the project. More than 3,000 cassette tapes recording the epic have been made, and 62 volumes in the Tibetan language published with a total circulation exceeding 3 million copies. The 600,000-word History of Chinese Dramas: Tibetan Volume has been compiled, filling a blank in theoretical writings and monographic studies on drama in Tibetan history. Materials are being garnered on the basis of surveys for the compilation of books about Tibetan dance, folk rhymes, music in Tibetan opera and folk art, instrumental music, folk art history, folk songs, folklore and proverbs.

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Scenic Tibet Tour with Namtso Lake