World Tibet Network News Thursday, February 05, 1998

BEIJING (Feb. 5) XINHUA - China is planning an exhibition on Tibetan culture and arts for display in Asia, Europe and North America.

A spokesman at the Ministry of Culture announced here today that the exhibition is aimed at helping foreigners gain a better understanding of the region, which is an inseparable part of China.

The first destinations for the exhibition are India and several Asian countries, the spokesman said.

The show will display 300 relics and many photos to reflect the changes in Tibetan culture and arts during the last 1,000 years, and delineates relations between the Tibetan local governments and the Chinese central government.

Masks, silk and oil paintings, religious items and handicrafts with explicit Tibetan characteristics will be on display. The exhibition will show that Tibetan traditions are being respected and protected, and people's living conditions are improving and different ethnic groups are living in harmony, the spokesman said.

Tibetan culture began in the seventh century when the Tubo Dynasty united tribes on the plateau. In the 15th century, the traditional Tibetan culture with Buddhism at its core began a period of great prosperity.

After the region was peacefully liberated in the 1950s, great changes have taken place and unprecedented achievements have been made in Tibetan culture and arts, the spokesman said.