SCIO briefing on economic and social development of Tibet autonomous region
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 4, 2021
The Paper:
The fine traditional culture of Tibet is the treasure in the garden of Chinese culture. How will the innovation-driven development of the fine traditional culture of Tibet be carried forward? Thanks.
Qizhala:
Thanks. Mr. Wu just mentioned this. Tibetan culture is a major part of Chinese culture. The fine culture of Tibet has long been developed and carried forward as a major part of Chinese culture. Chinese culture has always provided a mental bond connecting all ethnic groups in Tibet and a sense of belonging for them. Tibetan Buddhism is also a major part of Chinese culture. The idea that Tibetan culture is a major part of Chinese culture is also increasingly and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in Tibet. The relationship between the two cultures is like the mother-child relationship. The sense of identity has grown stronger. Especially since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee designated Tibet as the place of unique folk cultures, offering great support in terms of finance, policy, technologies, and talent resources, which significantly pushed forward the outstanding traditional culture to keep pace with the times and helped the region pursue innovation and integrated development while discarding unwanted elements and selecting other essential parts at the same time.
First, efforts have been made to protect places of unique folk culture in all respects. The Tibet autonomous region has formulated the Regulation of Tibet Autonomous Region on the Protection of Cultural Relics, Regulations on the Protection of Old Town of Lhasa, Measures of the Tibet Autonomous Region for the Protection and Management of the Potala Palace, and other laws and regulations. They have provided an institutional guarantee for protecting and carrying forward the fine traditional culture in Tibet. Traditional ethnic culture has been carried forward effectively. The state and the autonomous region have invested more than five billion yuan, excluding the investment in infrastructure, in the protection and renovation of 55 sites under state protection and over 610 sites under regional protection. For example, the Party and the state attach great importance to the protection of the Potala Palace's cultural relics. As world cultural heritage sites, the Potala Palace and the Barkhor Street are the major areas that attract global attention. We have strengthened the protection of this area and we are now advancing the launch of the protection of ancient books in the Potala Palace, especially the Pattra-leaf Scripture. There are special funds allocated for that purpose in the central government spending. We are uploading ancient books to an online platform every year and carrying out experiments and research on the equipment for extracting the Pattra-leaf Scripture without causing damage to the original, as well as managing cultural relics archives. Great progress has been made in this regard.
Second, we have built over 70 cultural relics protection units at the state level. Norbulingka has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tibetan opera, Gesar, and Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. We have inheritors that have been put on the State and Regional List of Intangible Heritage. And there are special funds to support them. These intangible cultural heritages, combined with the cultural and tourism industry, poverty alleviation work, and rural vitalization, further leverage the role of the inheritors' skills in the new era. For example, the investment in the protection and renovation of Barkhor Street, with Jokhang Temple at its center, cost 1.3 billion yuan. On paired-up assistance for the protection of cultural relics, we have worked on strengthening the security of cultural relics, which raised people's awareness for protecting them. As China promotes a standardized system for the spoken and written Chinese language, Tibetan spoken and written language learning is protected by a set of laws and rules. Tibetan spoken and written language has become the first ethnic minority language in China to meet international standards. We have given new vigor to traditional festivals such as Tibetan New Year, the Shoton Festival, and the Nagqu Horse Racing Festival, and have combined them with public cultural activities based on protection.
Third, the modern cultural services are flourishing in every respect. We have built libraries, people's art halls and museums at all levels, and established comprehensive cultural centers at the county/district level, comprehensive cultural stations at the town/township level and cultural rooms at all administrative villages. The coverage rates of bilingual radio and TV programs have both reached 99%. We are fully promoting the "Beautiful Tibet, Lovely Hometown" project designed to supply high-level cultural products to rural residents, which has greatly enriched people's cultural lives.
Forth, the cultural industry is developing rapidly. A batch of cultural products, including the movie "My Himalaya" and the opera "Princess Wencheng," have been released. People have actively participated in the eight Tibetan operas and various kinds of cultural activities, which are held at Norbulingka in celebration of the traditional Shoton Festival every year. A number of fine traditional cultural and art products have entered regional and national markets and even gone global, boosting the influence and reputation of the traditional Tibetan culture.
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