Tibet Automous Region is a beautiful and endowed part of China; the Tibetan ethnic group is an important member of the family of the Chinese nation.

From the relics of Karub to the ubiquitous traits of ancient civilization, from the Potala Palace to numerous other architectures, from the Legend of King Gesar to folk literatures, from The Four Medical Tantras (Rgyud bzhi) to the miraculous Tibetan medicine and medication, from Tripitaka to the distinctive culture of Tibetan Buddhism, from the old Tibetan opera to exciting folk art forms - Tibetan culture is imbued in this sacred and pure piece of land, making "the apex of all mountains and origin of all waters" glow with magical radiance, enchanting the whole world.

Tibetan culture reflects the unique geographical scenery and social history of Tibet, and carries the fruit of interaction between Tibet and civilizations of other ethnic groups. The entering into Tibet of Princess Wencheng, the assumption of the post of imperial tutor by Pagsba and the legendary encounters of peoples of various ethnic groups on the "Tea Horse Ancient Route" all reflect the path to development with joint efforts by Tibetan people and other brotherly ethnic peoples, and bear witness to the historical fact that since ancient times, Tibet has been an indivisible part of Chinese territory.

The Chinese government values greatly the preservation and development of Tibetan culture and ushers in a new era of vigorous cultural development.

It's been more than half a century since the peaceful liberation of Tibet. In its effort to propel leapfrogging social-economic development in Tibet, the country formulated specialized policies, laws and regulations and invested greatly with manpower, money and other material resources to inherit, protect and revitalize the fine cultural tradition of Tibet - and its achievements have been witnessed by the whole world.

The country has always been dedicated to the safeguard and protection of the rights of the Tibetan people in learning, using and developing their own language. The Tibetan language is applied extensively in all sectors of social life, and advancement has been made in the standardization of the language making the cornerstone of Tibetan culture even more solid.

The state has always dedicated to the preservation of cultural and historical relics in Tibet. Having provided huge funding, the state has helped to restore and reopen over 1,700 temples and monasteries, protecting legions of valuable relics.

The country always respects and preserves the folk customs and freedom of religious belief of various nationalities of Tibetan people.

The country has always been devoted to comprehensively inheriting and developing the Tibetan culture and art. The central government has helped to rescue and file tens and millions of words of materials in both Tibetan and Chinese.

In particular, the collection and publication of the epic King Gesar has preserved the comprehensive work of literature that has been passed down orally among grassroots folklorists.

Meanwhile, the modern culture and art undertakings in Tibet have also demonstrated a momentum with the creation of a large number of modern literary and artistic works in ethnic style and with the pulses of the times, the establishment of a number of art galleries and exhibition halls and a variety of artistic and sports activities.

Nowadays, Tibetan culture is being modernized and is open to the world. It is the bridge for strengthening connections and extending exchanges between the Tibetan people and other ethnic peoples. It is embracing new momentum and demonstrating fresh and vigorous vitality.

Chinese people are dedicated to the building of a socialist harmonious society and a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. A harmonious society and a harmonious world call for harmoniously coexisting cultures. The preservation and development of Tibetan culture is an important part of building an advanced socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and an unshirkable responsibility of the Chinese government.

We will always respect history, ground ourselves in reality, target development, research Tibetan culture, publicize extensively and develop the culture so that the protection and development of Tibetan culture can be loyal to history, to the times and to all Chinese people including the people of Tibet.

The protection and development of Tibetan culture needs a further exploration of the precious historical cultural heritage of various ethnic groups in Tibet, a constant understanding and recognition of the rich content of its cultural tradition, a forceful drive for research on the traditional Tibetan culture and a development of the fine traditional culture of Tibet.

Grounding ourselves in reality means relying on social practice and demonstrating the vigour of Tibetan culture. Culture originates from colourful social practices and will also facilitate the development of social practice. The preservation and development of Tibetan culture should be connected to the leapfrogging economic and social development in Tibet, to the practice of building a well-off society and a socialist harmonious society, and to the practice of safeguarding national unity and the reunification of the motherland, promoting development, enhancing unity, realizing harmony and providing spiritual support while getting enriched and keeping vigour and vitality.

Targeting development means promoting Chinese culture and facilitating the advancement of human civilization. Tibetan culture belongs to China as well as the world. The development of Tibetan culture is not only an illustration of the exchange between and common development of Tibetan and other ethnic groups of China, but also a complementary process between Tibet and cultures of other nations of the world.

To preserve and develop Tibetan culture requires a tolerant attitude so as to upgrade the exchange and co-operation between Tibetan culture and the cultures of other ethnic groups, inject new vitality into the development of Tibetan culture, add new colour to Chinese culture and make new contributions to the advancement of human civilization.

The article is a speech on the First China Tibetan Culture Forum; the author is vice-chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee