China's southwestern Tibet autonomous region's largest general survey and archive filing of cultural relics under state top protection is in full swing.

At present, the selection and classification of cultural relics collected in the world-renowned Norbu Lingka Palace, the Potala Palace and the Tibet Museum are underway.

The project, presided over by the State Bureau of Cultural Relics (SBCR) and carried out by the autonomous regional bureau of cultural relics, is expected to be completed by late 2005.

Information on figures, size, age, material and archives of each cultural relic under state protection in the autonomous region, either written documentaries or pictures, will be recorded distinctly and exactly. Eligible data will be included in the archive database of cultural relics under state top protection of the SBCR.

"It will be a general survey of all cultural relics sorted out and collected in the autonomous region as authentication and archive filing is not limited to those under state top protection," said an official with the local bureau of cultural relics on Wednesday.

As a region teemed with abundant cultural relics, the Tibet autonomous region still cannot make clear the number and uniqueness of its priceless cultural relics collection, as some of its so-called cultural relics under state protection did not have state authorization while some other invaluable cultural relics were not discovered and authenticated.

According to the official, all museums and cultural institutions of the autonomous region will pitch in the work of surveying, classification and filing. An authentication expert team sent by local cultural relics bureaus will make a scientific authentication and fix the grade of cultural relics selected by each institution in line with the state standards. As the last step, the appraisal outcome will be submitted to the SBCR for authorization.

After the survey and archive filing of cultural relics under state top protection is completed, the autonomous region will begin the authentication and classification of other cultural relics.

So far, 62,400 pieces of articles collected and sorted out in the Potala Palace have their archives established, covering 90 percent of the palace's total collection. And the archive filing of cultural sites under state protection in whole Tibet is going on.
 
(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2004)