Sita, vice-president of the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture, yesterday briefed the media on the preservation and development of Tibetan culture in China prior to today's start of the China Tibetan Culture Forum in Beijing.

"The Chinese government has always shown much concerns and attached great importance to the preservation and development of Tibetan culture, especially after the reform and open-up policy, large amount of manpower, material resource and financial resource has been invested in it," Sita said. "With persistent efforts, the government keeps carrying out various effective measures, for instance, the extensive relics surveys and numerous collections and compilations on folk work have been developed so that a number of heritages which are facing being lost have been discovered and rescued."

The China Tibetan Culture Forum runs until October 11, 2006, and will also organize some of the participants to have a field study in Tibet via the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. With the topic of "Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture", the forum is made up of four sections: forum exchanges, Tibetan culture exhibition, Beijing visit, and a Tibet field study by train.

The China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture was founded in Beijing on June 21, 2004. The Association is a nationwide non-profit public body with an independent legal person status. The purposes of the Association are to preserve and develop Tibetan culture, protect human rights, and promote unity, harmony and common prosperity of people of all ethnic groups in Tibet. The group currently has 159 members, including 38 standing members and 9 group members.