MKS sports one of the areas affected by the recent 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Xizang Autonomous Region, to conduct inspections on the damage to cultural heritage sites. Photo: Courtesy of Wangjiu" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-01-12/4170ceb9-1b4f-4211-b29b-dabba276cee3.jpeg" />

An emergency cultural heritage team on Sunday has headed to Dingjie county, one of the areas affected by the recent 6.8-magnitude earthquake in Xizang Autonomous Region, to conduct inspections on the damage to cultural heritage sites. Photo: Courtesy of Xizang regional cultural heritage bureau

A cultural heritage team on Sunday headed for Dinggye county, one of the areas affected by the recent 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ­Xizang Autonomous Region, to inspect the damage to cultural heritage sites, a staff member from the Xizang regional cultural heritage bureau who is on the frontline of the inspections, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The emergency response team, established by the bureau, consists of 17 members, divided into two groups for movable and immovable cultural heritage in four hard-hit counties - Sagya, Lhaze, Dinggye, and Dingri, Wangjiu, an associate research fellow from the Xizang regional cultural heritage bureau, told the Global Times. They will assess the quake damage to cultural heritage sites, mostly ancient structures like monasteries, and report to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). The team has finished inspections in the Lhaze and Dingri counties, and the work on the remaining two counties is ongoing.

"We have finished the work for the national key cultural heritage sites in Sagya county, while lower-level sites are still being inspected," he said, adding that most of the cultural heritage sites in Xizang are ancient buildings like temples.

Wangjiu stated that, while ensuring safety is the top priority, they usually set off at 7:30 am and work until 10 pm or even later every day in the hopes of completing inspections as soon as possible.

"After the inspections are completed, we will issue an assessment report and evaluation form, laying the foundation for the next steps in post-earthquake repair work for cultural heritage units," he said.

Preliminary inspections show that the national key cultural heritage sites within the city of Xigaze are generally stable, with no obvious damage found at the renowned Tashilhunpo Monastery which has been the Panchen Lama's traditional seat, the NCHA said in a release sent to the Global Times.

Built in 1447, Tashilhunpo is one of the six monasteries in the Gelukpa School of Tibetan Buddhism and is the dwelling seat for a long line of Panchen Lamas. The inheritance tradition of the Panchen Lama has a history of more than 600 years.

The Xinhua News Agency reported that around 900 monks from Tashilhunpo Monastery held an event on Wednesday to chant prayers and donate money to help those affected by the earthquake. The 11th Panchen Lama, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, also made a donation to the quake-stricken area.

The press release noted other national key cultural heritage units including the Xialu Temple and Baiju Temple also have no obvious damage. However, during inspections of the immovable cultural heritage sites at the Xizang regional level and below, two county-level cultural heritage sites have been found to be severely damaged near the epicenter of the earthquake.

The Sagya Monastery - the oldest monastery of the Sagya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the sites listed among China's first batch of national key cultural heritage units - is the closest national key cultural heritage site to the earthquake epicenter, only 71 kilometers away. The main hall of the monastery was renovated in 2024, with the roof repaired and some unstable beams reinforced. While repairable damage such as component displacement and wall cracking was observed, no major structural risks have been found, according to the NCHA.

The preventive measures implemented in 2019 have played a positive role as no damage has been found within the Sagya Monastery, including any damage to the blue and white porcelains from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), palm-leaf scriptures, Thangkas, and Buddhist statues.

In addition, the Mount Qomolangma scenic area has been temporarily closed, and tourists and staff are safe. Dingri is home to the base camp of the world's highest peak. 

Located at the China-Nepal border, Mount Qomolangma reaches an altitude of more than 8,840 meters. Its northern section is located in Xizang. 

The NCHA and cultural heritage departments at all levels in the Xizang Autonomous Region and the city of Xigaze will continue to conduct surveys and assessments of affected cultural heritage, eliminate risks and safety hazards, and arrange post-disaster repair and restoration projects to ensure the safety of cultural heritage, the press release noted.