The renovation project of Ramoqe Lamasery in Lhasa is an "ideal start" of China-Switzerland cooperation in cultural heritage preservation in Tibet, according to Swiss Ambassador to China Dante Martinelli.

The ambassador visited the temple not long ago and appreciated to result of the first joint project between the two countries in cultural heritage protection in Tibet.

According to an agreement signed in October 2004, the Swiss side provided 1.2 million yuan (150,000 U.S. dollars) for renovation of the golden roofs and the depository of Buddhist scriptures of the lamasery. The maintenance project started in April 2005 and was concluded in September the same year.

The renovation was targeted at reducing the hidden safety problems brought to the old building and valuable cultural relics in it by such elements as natural conditions.

Built in the seventh century in downtown Lhasa, capital of Tibet, the Ramoqe is an important lamasery for followers of Tibetan Buddhism and a precious building featuring both Tibetan style and the Han ethnic style.

Martinelli said the Swiss government is willing to help the regional government in Tibet protect the cultural sites of historic significance, which are also Tibet's precious tourism attraction.

The Chinese government listed the Ramoqe Lamasery as one of the nation's key cultural heritage protection projects in 2001, and plans to invest another 7 million yuan (875,000 U.S. dollars) for a complete renovation of the lamasery in 2006-2008, said Xiao Yuanchun, director of the Lhasa Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage.

Source: Xinhua