China invests $240 mn in Tibet to protect artifacts

China invested $240 million to protect ancient artifacts, cultural heritage and to build museums in Tibet over the past five years.

The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage invested 1.6 billion yuan ($240 million) in protecting cultural artifacts and establishing museum exhibits in Tibet from 2011-2015, according to government figures.

Over the same period, the National Development and Reform Commission invested about 600 million yuan in museum construction and protecting cultural heritage.

The figures represent a 180 per cent increase in the previous five-year period (2006-2010), state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, citing the government figures released on Thursday.

Liu Yuzhu, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage said that during the past two decades, the central government has invested three billion yuan in protecting Tibetan cultural heritage.

The region has 4,277 key cultural sites including ancient ruins, buildings and tombs.

Fifty-five of these sites are on the state's priority protection list.