SW China museum opens to showcase ethnic culture

The ethnic museum of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, opened to the public on Tuesday.

The three-storey museum, with a floor space of 5,000 square meters, boasts a collection of 1,446 cultural artifacts, demonstrating the natural resources, history and ethnic culture of the prefecture.

Among the most eye-catching exhibits is a tent made of 100 pieces of tiger skin. The tent was a gift sent by a tribal leader to a local temple about 600 years ago and was intended for use in chanting and praying.

Prefecture governor Yexe Dawa said, hopefully the museum will become a cultural research and exchange center for the prefecture.

Construction of the museum started in 2010. Endi