Tibetan Buddhist monastery completes first large-scale renovation

Aerial photo taken on July 12, 2021 shows the architecture at Labrang Monastery in northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Du Zheyu)

A prominent Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the northwestern province of Gansu has basically completed its first large-scale comprehensive protection and renovation, local authorities announced Tuesday.

It is part of a wider 400-million-yuan (61.77 million U.S. dollars) preservation project to renovate Labrang Monastery, one of the largest temples of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

According to Sonam Gya, in charge of protecting the monastery's artifacts, the project began in 2012 and was the first large-scale renovation of the shrine in more than 300 years. The refurbishment focused on protecting cultural relics, upgrading infrastructure and constructing supporting facilities for tourism.

The main renovation of 14 Buddhist halls in the monastery has been completed, with repair work on paintings and frescos ongoing, said Gya.

Located in Xiahe county in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Gannan, the monastery was built in 1709 and has been a national cultural protection site since 1982. ■