Xining, October 18. According to Xinhua news agency, "The first phase renovation of the Ta'er monastery in northwest China's Qinghai Province has been finished recently. Starting in 1991, the first phase project involved the renovation of two main halls in the monastery. Located in Huangzhong county in the province, the monastery was built in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) in memory of Zong Ka Ba, founder of the Gu-lu (yellow) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It was later expanded to become one of China's six famous temples of Lamaism. The temple preserved over 10,000 brilliant Tibetan-style halls and rooms as well as over 20,000 religious paintings, appliques and wooden sculptures. Much of the monastery deteriorated over the centuries and was damaged by earthquakes since 1990. In 1991, China's central government decided to allocate 36m yuan for renovating the monastery, a project that will proceed in three phases. (EuroTibet News N·4)