For a More Beautiful Lhasa

By ZHANG JINGPIN

VISITORS to Beijings Forbid- den City in the year before the 2008 Olympics may have left disappointed. Scaffolding and screens covered many of the relics； restorations progressed quickly in time for the August opening ceremony. In the end it was worth it； the Forbidden Citys treasures， brought back to their former splendor under the watchful eye of experts， wowed visitors to the Games， and have continued to do so ever since.

Today， its Lhasas turn. The regional capitals old town is in the midst of a RMB 1.5 billion facelift. Lhasa may not be hosting the Olympic Games any time soon， but restoration and city beatification efforts will be no less Herculean than those in Beijing.

Much of the restorative work is taking place in the old towns iconic Barkor Street， home to Jokhang Temple， the most important holy site for the Plateaus Buddhists. Its also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Protective screens and scaffolding mask the facades of almost all buildings down both sides of the street.

Barkor Street is at the heart of the old town， which is in turn located at the city center. The old town is small， measuring about 1.3 square kilometers， but there are roughly 80，000 residents living in its maze of old alleyways. Nestled in among the residences are 27 temples， including the Ramoche Temple， and another 56 examples of classic Tibetan architecture.

In former times， Barkor Street was of great significance to the religious and cultural lives of Tibetan residents of Lhasa. Today it maintains its importance to locals， while at the same time being the citys main tourist draw card.

Preserving the cultural value of Barkor Street is high on the local governments list of priorities. Restoration， when done right， is one means of preserving cultural relics and classical architecture. The restoration and renovation work currently underway aims to do just that， as well as improve the water supply， sewerage and transport infrastructure of the old town. Work to upgrade the living standards of residents in the old town is long overdue.

That said， the plans have not been without controversy. Some have fret-ted that the facelift will lead to the loss of old towns unique historical flavor； others have voiced concerns that rising rents will force traditional shops， inns and flophouses out of the old city， and that high-end hotels and antique stores– catering to tourists， not locals – will take their place.

Ma Xinming， chief of the Information Department of Lhasa City， allayed concerns by promising that restorations would conform to the distinctive architectural style of the original old town. There would be no cheap copies or “uniform decoration of buildings，”he said. Original windows and building ornaments would not be replaced， and any modifications to building structures would take place around their historically valuable features， he added.

Chimed Tsering， deputy of the Chengguan District of Lhasa City said that urban beautification plans had been formulated according to Chinas law on relics preservation and the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites， also known as the Venice Charter of 1964.

“The preservation project is supported by the people. Surveys reveal that 96 percent of the local population approves the project. In order to ensure work goes smoothly， the municipal government has set aside a section of the city for the old towns 2，956 stalls. Relocations are already underway – 91 percent of stall owners understand and support the move，” Chimed said. Gangtsu， secretary of the Chomsigkang community and Lhasa Citys deputy to the National Peoples Congress， says he has been raising suggestions to the National Peoples Congress for two years about the preservation and renovation of the old town. “It was not my idea， but one that came from discussions with many residents and only after much research and modeling.”

Before the liberation of Tibet， Barkor Street was either dusty or muddy， depending on the season. When it rained， residents feet would get stuck in thick mud， said Dorje， deputy of the Barkor Street Neighborhood Office. In the 1960s the road was laid with stone； nowadays it is a flagstone boulevard.

Since the 1980s， the government has on many occasions renovated sections of Barkor Street. As recently as 2002， an investment of RMB 170 million was made to improve the road， the local water supply， the drainage system and the electric power supply， and to refit street lamps. Barkor Street residents long ago said goodbye to dilapidated housing， drinking-water wells， latrine pits and candle-lit rooms.

Improvements still need to be made. Residents in other cities around China enjoy all the comforts that come from living in a modern urban landscape. Life in Lhasas old town is still tough by some measures. Drome Lahm， a Barkor Street alley resident， points out， “Drainage is still not very good， so when the rainy season hits， dirty water pours out onto the street.”

Sixty-six-year-old Guisang has lived in the Lugu community just off Barkor Street since childhood. The four-storey apartment building he calls home has a history of more than 100 years. For him personally， its full of memories.

There are faucets on every floor of Guisangs building， but on the fourth –where he lives – water pressure is too low and theres no running water. Residents on his floor have to bring up water in buckets for daily use. They do the laundry in Lhasa River.

“I really hope that the renovations are finished soon. We want water from the tap instead of carrying it up from the first floor every day，” Guisang said.

One focus of the restoration program for historically significant spots in the old town is the Buddhist mural complex in the centuries-old Jokhang Temple.

Nyima Tsering， a monk at Jokhang， described the reasons why renovation has been necessary. Poor drainage and heavy rains over the years have damaged both the murals and the temple， he said. Poorly laid electrical wiring under the old city also raises the possibility of fires.

Tseda， deputy director of the restoration project， says his team is committed to preserving relics， religious architec-ture and traditional residences， and retaining their original beauty. He said that strictest measures had been taken to maintain original colors， styles and facades wherever possible， and that only minimal changes would be made when absolutely necessary. He maintained that restorations were sorely needed owing to wear and tear.

Minyak Chokyi Gyaltsen， a senior architect at the Architectural Design Institute of Tibet， has participated in restoration projects on Potala Palace， Jokhang Temple and a number of other historically significant sites. He said Lhasas drainage system used to be very bad indeed， and was reliant on sectional drain cleaning – or even hands-on drain cleaning in some parts. The focus of current efforts has been to build up an integrated drainage system to connect the whole city， he said. Jokhang Temple is now well connected to the system， he added.

Restoration and renovation work going on in the city is not proceeding blindly. Experts on classical Tibetan architecture， relic preservation， religion and folk art from Lhasa and beyond have been called in as consultants. Local traditional handicrafts， materials and know-how are employed to ensure buildings original features are restored in a historically accurate manner. Some structures will need to be rebuilt， but this will be done to match the surrounding architectural style.

As it stands， restorative works are edging towards completion. Peek behind the scaffolding， and its a familiar scene. The white walls that epitomize local building culture， the ornate carving around dark window frames， the balconies stocked with flowers， blooming under the shade of prayer flags... it really couldnt be anywhere else in the world. Perhaps its too early to say， but the restorations seem to be a success.

Lhasa is as its always been： a treasure-trove of religious， artistic and architectural significance for the Tibetan people. Lhasa will always attract tourists. Now it will be a nice place for residents as well.