China to restore frescoes of major Tibetan Buddhist monastery

LANZHOU -- Restoration work on the frescoes at Labrang Monastery, a prominent Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Northwest China's Gansu province, will begin in April.

The project, which has been allocated 10 million yuan (about $1.6 million) by the government, is scheduled to take two years, according to Sonam Je, who is in charge of relic protection at the monastery.

Natural erosion over the past 300 years have left the frescoes in dire need of repair, said Sonam Je.

He said the plan was drawn up by the Dunhuang Academy, which specializes in the research and restoration of wall murals, and was approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in June 2014.

The project is part of a wider 300 million yuan plan, which began in 2012 at the monastery, he said.

Located in Xiahe County in the autonomous prefecture of Gannan, Gansu, the monastery is one of the six great temples of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It has six Buddhist colleges and 48 Buddha halls.