The magnificent Lhasa Potala Palace in Tibet welcomed the visit of the central press delegation formed by more than twenty members. Renqingciren, director-general of Cultural Relic Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region, said to the press delegation Potala Palace welcomed its largest press delegation today. The Potala Palace is conducting the second stage maintenance construction and all works have been progressing smoothly.

The journalists had no sooner finished visiting the most fascinating halls in the Potala Palace than Renqingciren began to brief the delegation on the progress of the second stage maintenance project in the Management Office of the Potala Palace sitting on the top story of the palace. Before this, he said, the first stage salvation maintenance project was finished in 1994.

Most temples in Tibet were damaged to different extents during the Cultural Revolution whilst the Potala Palace is the only ancient construction that has not been ruined. The Potala Palace is the most ancient construction in Tibetan history, which dates back to more 1,300 years. It was destroyed by war during its history, leaving behind only two sites of ancient buildings - the secret cultivation room (cave) of Princess Wen Cheng and Songtsan Gambo and the hall of the Goddess of Mercy. The whole Potala Palace that the journalists saw was the result of continuous expanding and rebuilding by successive Dalais. The Potala Palace now has eight Dalai Pagodas.

From the 1980s to the end of last century the Chinese government began to implement new religion policy and the central finance appropriated special funds of 0.3 billion yuan to Tibet for salvaging and maintaining nearly 30 sites of temples, which is called the "first ancient buildings maintenance construction project in Tibet". The first stage salvation maintenance project on the Potala Palace started in 1989 and was completed in 1994 costing a total of 55 million yuan. The first stage project focused on the salvation maintenance of the Red Palace (place for Dalai to preach) and the White Palace (Dalai's office for governmental affairs and sleeping palace).

Renqingciren said the three key protection maintenance projects in Tibet were started on June 26, 2002. This is the second ancient building maintenance construction project in Tibet, the time limit for which is five to six years. The three key protection maintenance projects include the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka Park and the Shajia Monastery, which have an investment of more than 300 million yuan. The maintenance scope and area of this maintenance are much larger than those of the first time. The focus is on the maintenance and rebuilding of the foundation construction (that is, the four underground stories). It is therefore called "the second stage salvation maintenance project". The first salvation maintenance project mainly focused on the salvation maintenance of the seven stories above the ground.

Renqingrenci said the central government and Tibet attach great importance to the implementation of the "three key protection maintenance projects in Tibet". Simultaneously with the "three key protection maintenance projects in Tibet" there are three other national key ancient building maintenance projects, including the maintenance project of Beijing Forbidden City. Renqingrenci said very proudly to the journalists: "Among the six major national projects Tibet accounts for three".

By People's Daily Online