Tibetan culture rooted in people's heart (2)

Tibetan culture embraces both tradition and modernity

Since the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain started in the 18th century, no country or ethnic group could have avoided being involved in modernity.

In fact, traditions invariably clash with modernity, which does not mean that traditions are attacked or suppressed. In such an irreversible trend, Tibet is doing well in protecting, inheriting and developing its culture.

However, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the modernization of Tibet becomes a "controversial" topic, even a target of attack.

To realize their "Tibet Independence", the Dalai clique and Western separatist forces desperately oppose the modernization of Tibet, describing it as "eradication of the ethnic identity of Tibet" and even "extinction of Tibetan culture".

"The Tibetan language and culture, which are legacies from ancestors, will never be extinct as long as there are people using and studying them," said Konchokgya, a researcher from Tibet during an interview with Xinhua.

On the contrary, a traditional culture is sure to collapse if isolated from the society, and it will lag behind if not developing itself and keeping up with the times.

Finding out no effective tricks to slam China's policies in Tibet, the Dalai clique and some Western media find fault with the protection project in Lhasa.

In Lhasa, the project with an investment of 1.5 billion yuan to protect the old city of Lhasa started on December of 2012 and will be completed by the end of this June.

As the project is well underway and about to finish, a report of Radio Free Asia (RFA) on May 17 described the project as "an attempt to destroy Tibetans'"living connection" to their past.

And The Tibet government in exile, or Central Tibetan Administration in a May 16 statement it was "deeply concerned" about the project's impact, saying it is transforming Lhasa's central Jokhang temple and the Barkhor, or Old City, around it into a "superficial tourist spot.", according to RFA.

The Barkhor Street, with a history dating back to the seventh century, was originally a dirt road and was later built into a road with stone surface, said Dorje, deputy head of the Barkhor Street neighborhood committee, according to a Xinhua report.

In fact, before the face-lift project, the street has gone through several renovations since the 1980s by the regional government and central government of China.

If not protected and renovated, the cultural relics in Lhasa and even the whole Tibet will face various problems only after being weathered for hundreds of years.

The Dalai clique wants to create an international attention by criticizing all China's policies and practices in Tibet. If they are really "deeply concerned" about Tibetan cultural preservation, why don't they even put a single penny in the cultural protection of Tibet?

In Tibet, the time-honored traditional culture coexists with the modern civilization, and hasn't been ignored although the region keeps moving towards modernization.