Top leader Jia Qinglin said Tuesday that the protection
and development of Tibetan and other ethnic cultures is a long-term
historic task that needs the attention of both government and
non-government organizations.
Jia, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and
chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks while
meeting with delegates attending the Forum on Tibetan Culture in
Beijing.
The government has always attached great importance to
protecting and developing ethnic culture and making it an important
part of the country's policies for ethnic minorities, said Jia.
Since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, China has
taken legislative, judicial and administrative means to ensure that
ethnic people would use and develop their own spoken and written
languages, maintain and reform their own customs and habits, and
enjoy the freedom of religious belief, Jia said.
He stressed that the protection and development of ethnic
culture is "a long-term historic task", calling for government's
attention and support and the active participation by people of all
circles, as well as international exchanges and cooperation.
In related developments, an exhibition on the Tibetan culture
was opened at the Capital Museum in central Beijing, with over 200
exhibits and over 100 pictures on show. It lasts through to October
22.
(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2006)