May 10,2017--“In recent years, Tibet has witnessed a stable increase in financial support from the central government to preserve Tibetan cultural relics. A total of 1.84 billion yuan will be allocated during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, up 84 percent compared with the 12th Five-Year Plan period. 

 

Renowned as “the first Monastery in Tibet” and “the first Monastery with Buddha, Dharma and Sangha”, Samye Temple was built by King Trisong Detsen for welcoming padma sambhava and Shantarakshita in the 8th century AD. 

 

In this sacred Monastery with a history of more than a thousand years, a huge repair project has been conducted for several years. Samye Monastery is recovering its magnificence and splendor. In 1996, Samye Monastery was listed as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site. The total investment has reached tens of millions of yuan since September 2010.

 

Since the 1980s, China has allocated special funds, gold and silver every year for the maintenance, repair and preservation of Tibetan monasteries.

 

The central government has allocated 6.7 million yuan, 111 kilograms of gold, more than 2,000 kilograms of silver and a large number of jewelry for the repair of the funerary stupa and sacrificial hall of the 5th to 10th Panchen Lamas; 66.2 million yuan, 650 kilograms of gold for the construction of the funerary stupa and sacrificial hall of the 10th Panchen Lama; 20 million yuan for the continuous repair of Ganden Monastery in 1994. In 1995, the central government set special funds to support the maintenance and preservation of Potala Palace, Norbulingka, Sakya Monastery.

 

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, 33 out of 46 key Tibetan cultural relics protection projects were completed, and 10 cultural relics protection projects such as Shigu Temple in Shigatse are now in operation. Most of the projects have been completed 90 percent.

 

In July 2013, a complete and unified database was jointly established by the Palace Museum and the Jokhang Temple. "A statue of Buddha can be watched in all directions through ten pictures showing the most beautiful part of the Buddha," said Luo Wenhua, head of Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Relics Research Institute  of the Palace Museum. 

 

During the 9th Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), 380 million yuan was pumped into repairing the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka. Since then, a total of nearly 3 billion yuan has been invested by the central government in Tibetan cultural relics protection in the past 20 years, and more than 300 rescue maintenance projects have been conducted.