LHASA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — At an observation deck near the Potala Palace in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, many tourists lined up, each holding a piece of paper to take a photo with the majestic palace.
Printed on the back of the 50 yuan bill is the Potala Palace, a world heritage site in the regional capital Lhasa, against a backdrop of bright skies and fluffy clouds.
On December 17, 1994, the Potala Palace was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In the last decade it welcomed over 14.4 million visitors from home and abroad. “Without the two large-scale restoration projects, it would have been impossible for the palace to achieve such a tourist-receiving capacity,” said Kunga Tashi, deputy director of the palace’s administrative office.
The Potala Palace sits atop Mount Marpori, which means “red hill” in Tibetan, in central Lhasa. It was built in the seventh century by the Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo and expanded in the 17th century.
It houses priceless writings, historical documents and valuable relics, such as a thangka painting of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and a mural depicting the story of Princess Wencheng, who came all the way from Chang'an ( today's city) traveled from Xi'an) married Songtsen Gampo over 1,300 years ago.
CONTINUOUS PRESERVATION APPLICATIONS
Due to insect infestation, wood warping and cracking, roof leaks and other challenges over the years, the palace with the earth-stone-wood structure underwent its first major restoration from 1989 to 1994.
With a total investment of 55 million yuan (approximately US$7.65 million), the central government provided 15 kg of gold and 54 kg of silver, and the regional government purchased valuable materials including pearls, red coral and turquoise for the restoration project.
Donden Tsering, a carpenter involved in the project, recalled that worm-infested and warped wood was replaced during the repair process.
“The wooden components of the Potala Palace are like the bones of the human body, and replacing the damaged wood has largely contributed to stabilizing the ancient architecture,” said Donden Tsering, now 63.
In 2002, the State Council officially approved three major renovation projects in Xizang – the Potala Palace, the Norbulingka Palace and the Sakya Monastery – marking the start of a seven-year renovation project for the palace with an investment of 204 million yuan.
Champa Kelsang, former director of the administration office, said that the second major renovation project is a pioneering cultural heritage protection project that fully respects tradition, science and ethnic styles.
“The renovation was carried out by people from different ethnic groups, including Tibetans and Han people, and its benefits will last for generations,” said Champa Kelsang, who was involved in the entire renovation process.
In addition to major restorations, the maintenance department of the palace's administrative office employed over 60 local traditional craftsmen such as carpenters, tailors and painters to carry out regular “checks” and minor repairs.
OLD RELICS, NEW LIFE
The palace has also embarked on a number of projects using technological advances, including monitoring of structures, data collection of murals and preventive conservation of movable cultural relics in the palace. Digital resources have breathed new life into traditional cultural heritage.
The ancient palace houses about 40,000 volumes of valuable ancient books and documents, including Buddhist scriptures as well as medical, historical and dramatic works. By the end of this year, China has invested 83.45 million yuan in digitizing and archiving some of these items.
“We will carry out cataloging, classification and other tasks for the digitization work that will fill the gaps in the existing document database in the Potala Palace,” said Paldron, an antiquarian who was invited to collaborate.
Over the past 30 years, the Chinese government has poured nearly 800 million yuan into projects including repairs to the palace's main structure, golden roof restorations, structural monitoring, preservation and use of ancient books and documents, and an online ticketing system. according to the office. ■