Roundup: Tibetan cultural delegation shares views on modern Tibet in U.S.

A Tibetan cultural exchange delegation on Friday concluded their two-day visit to the U.S. State of Illinois after presenting a modern Tibet to local officials, scholars and others.

Za Luo, head of the delegation and a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, introduced Chinese leaders' new ideas about governing Tibet and highlighted five points of the ideas regarding the issue during his meeting with Elizabeth B. Tisdaha, mayor of Evanston City.

"The first one is governing Tibet according to law and emphasizing the authority of law; the second is developing Tibet's economy; the third is improving people's livelihood and social security system and formulating sustainable policies; the fourth is reviving the fine traditional culture and making unique cultural products favored by the market," he said.

"The last is implementing all Tibet-related policies to maximize social consensus," Za Luo added.

Yang Zhen, a Tibetan writer, told a story about the revitalization of "Xuan Dance," a traditional Tibetan folk dance which originated from the ancient Guge Kingdom more than a thousand years ago.

Located in the remote west part of Tibet, the ancient Guge Kingdom disappeared in the 11th century, leaving behind a famous Tibetan court dance which also began to disappear amid social development, Yang Zhen said.

When the local government of the Tibet Autonomous Region realized the situation, it began to search for those who know the dance and finally found only one old man already in his 80s. The local government found him some students interested in the dance and the old man taught them to perform it. The dance was made very famous by their performances and has acquired a new name called the "Xuan dance," Yang Zhen said.

Tisdaha appreciated Tibet's cultural protection effort, saying the story of the old dance was a very good one.

"I think that your government is very wise to use art as a stimulator as you are developing. Art...is a way of collecting people to their communities, so it's good for you to do so," said Jennifer Lasik, culture arts coordinator of Evanston City.

During their meeting with Richard Lariviere, president of the Field Museum, the delegates discussed about how to preserve cultural relics and cultural heritages.

They will go to Canada to continue their trip on Saturday, according to Za Luo. Endi