www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-18 20:53:51

Special Report: Focus on Tibet

YUSHU, Qinghai, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Kunsong Dechong, a 25-year-old Tibetan, will see a dream fulfilled when a 1,000-year-old Tripitaka (Tibetan Encyclopedia) her family has protected for decades moves into a new, government-built museum.

Dechong is a member of the ancient Dongtsang family in China's Qinghai Province, whose ancestor was said to be one of the 30 generals of the legendary King Gesar. The Tripitaka kept by his family was recognized as the oldest and most complete version preserved by ordinary people.

The museum, a two-story Tibetan-style building, cost nearly 1 million yuan (about 150,000 U.S. dollars) and covers 456 square meters. Nestled on a hillside in Gyegu Township, Yushu Tibetan Prefecture, the south-facing building looks like a Tibetan monastery with its red walls.

The building is the first built by the government for an ordinary Tibetan collector. The government has also allocated more than 5 million yuan since 2003 for preservation of the books.

The volumes "are an exceptionally precious cultural heritage in our country," said Gama Thugar, head of the Yushu Cultural Relics Bureau.