There are currently 66 cultural relic repair projects in Shigatse City, Tibet with a total appropriation of over $13.8m. The projects are due to start in July this year. (Photo: China News Service)Among them, the Phagpa Gompa in Gyirong County of Shigatse City was the nearest to the epicentre.
The 1,300-year-old temple was already facing many problems before the earthquake, and repair work was already underway at the time.
Much of the existing damage to the wooden structure and wall paintings was aggravated due to the disaster.
Tenzin Norbu, director of Cultural Relics Bureau of Gyirong County, says urgent reinforcement measures were undertaken after the quake.
“The wood here is seriously eaten away by insects – the inside of the wood has almost become powder. The earthquake has worsened these problems, some of the wall paintings are cracked, some of them fell off the wall and some of them warped.”
A new restoration project has now been approved for Phagpa Gompa with an increased funding of $1.2m.
So far there are 66 cultural relic repair projects in Shigatse City with a total appropriation of over $13.8m. The projects are due to start in July this year.
