Chinese Vice President Visits Tibetan Buddhist Temple
China People's Daily

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Lhasa, Tibet -- Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao, currently heading a central government delegation for celebrating activities marking the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, paid a visit to Jokhang Temple, a holy monastery for Tibetan Buddhism, Wednesday.

More than 100 lamas at the temple extended a warm welcome to the delegation and presented a ceremonial silk scarf, regarded as a token of respect, to the distinguished visitors.

Hu, in turn, distributed alms and presented "Tripitaka", a complete collection of Buddhist scriptures in Chinese, to the lamas.

After touring the temple, Hu said the Jokhang Temple is a treasured piece of Tibetan culture and a historical witness of unity among different nationalities.

He voiced the hope that all the Tibetan Buddhist monks would inherit the traditional sprit of patriotism and contribute more to the prosperity and development of Tibet.

With a history of over 1,300 years, the Jokhang Temple has received large-scale reparation over the past decade with financial support from the central government. It has so far been included on the world cultural heritage list as an extended part of the Potala Palace.