Intl guests hail preservation of traditional culture at forum on Tibet's development

BEIJING -- Guests from home and abroad gathered here on Tuesday at a forum on Tibet's development, and hailed China's efforts in the conservation and development of the Tibetan traditional culture.

The one-day forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the People's Government of the Tibet autonomous region, gathered 150 officials, experts in various fields, and representatives of enterprises and media organizations from home and abroad.

"There are different approaches to human rights protection. Cultural protection is also an important part of human rights protection and China has done a lot to respect and protect the cultural heritage of Tibetan people," said Alexander Birle, chief representative of Hanns Seidel Stiftung in China.

Since 2006, the central government has spent more than 200 million yuan (about $28.35 million) on the protection of intangible cultural heritage in Tibet, according to the China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC).

The region now has three items (Gesar, Tibetan opera, and Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa) included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. There are 106 items on the national intangible cultural heritage list with 96 state-level representative bearers, data from the CTRC shows.

The use and study of the Tibetan language is protected by law, and the language has been widely used in fields including justice, health, communications, transportation, finance, science and technology, said Zheng Dui, director-general of the CTRC.

The preservation and inheritance of fine traditional culture is also about facilitating better lives for people of all ethnic groups, according to Zheng.

Zheng's view echoes with Ambassador of the Republic of Fiji to China Manasa R. Tagicakibau, who visited the region recently. "They keep this culture alive by showcasing their culture and tradition to the tourists. They keep the culture traditionally, and they earn some money from it," he said.

Tagicakibau was also impressed by how local people managed to retain their traditional culture, especially their way of living and dressing, while achieving rapid economic development.

"These are things that can be lost easily during development processes. So, I am very impressed with the way Tibet has preserved its culture," he said.