Zhongzheng Hall, the site of exchanges between Tibetan Buddhism and Han culture 500 years ago, is once again hosting a display of ancient Tibetan relics.

The hall, nestled in the Palace Museum, is featuring more than 60 Tibetan Buddhist antiques, including 32 embroidered banners and 34 Buddhist sculptures once owned by the royal family living in the Forbidden City.

"Tibetans have a long history of communicating with the country's ancient royal families and the Han ethnic group," said Zheng Xinmiao, head of the Palace Museum.

"The hall functioned as a center to spread the ideas of Tibetan Buddhism, and since then thousands of believers have come to the eastern part of ancient China."

The exhibition follows the establishment of the Research Center for Tibetan Buddhism Cultural Relics last Friday.

The research center is located in Zhongzheng Hall, which witnessed exchanges between Tibetan Buddhist culture and the culture of the Han ethnic group during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"I will go and see the antiques on display, definitely," Ciwang Bianjue, 23, a student from the Tibet autonomous region, told China Daily Tuesday.

He said Tibetan culture is unique, especially Buddhist culture, because it plays a very important role in their daily lives.

Zheng said thousands of Tibetan antiques have been kept intact through the generations, including Buddhist statues, implements and scriptures.

"The Palace Museum has an advantage in setting up a research center as it keeps tens of thousands of Tibetan relics," said Lian Xiangmin, deputy director of the research management office at the China Center of Tibetology.

The center will promote the spread of Tibetan culture at home and abroad, he said.

A 26-year-old resident surnamed Chu in Beijing's Chaoyang district said Tibetan culture seems a mystery to him, as it does for many Chinese people. But now he will be able to observe it for himself while visiting the Forbidden City.

The China Center of Tibetology is now planning a Tibetan Culture Museum, which will open to the public within two months.

One third to half of the antiques on display will be related to Tibetan Buddhism. The center will acquire antiques from museums in regions inhabited by Tibetans, including the Tibet autonomous region, and Qinghai and Sichuan provinces.

(China Daily October 21, 2009)