Efforts intensify to preserve and promote ethnic cultures in Xizang

Efforts to preserve the language and culture of ethnic groups with relatively small population in the Xizang autonomous region have been stepped up in recent years ensuring they can be effectively passed on to the younger generation, according to deputies to China's top legislature speaking on the sidelines of this year's annual session.

Tashi Gyaltsen is the only deputy to the 14th National People's Congress of the Lhoba ethnic group from Doyu Lhoba ethnic autonomous township. There are nearly 4,300 Lhoba people in the country, making the ethnic group one of the smallest among China's 56 ethnic groups in terms of population.

"The Lhoba people have only a spoken language without a written one, so our cultural heritage can only be passed down orally. So the local government has funded the hiring of teachers to offer Lhoba language courses in schools. Additionally, the village regularly hosts Lhoba language night classes, where elders are eager to serve as teachers and young people actively participate," said Tashi Gyaltsen who has been focusing on suggestion for the preservation of Lhoba language and culture as an NPC deputy.

In 2019, he formally submitted a proposal on strengthening the protection of Lhoba culture during the annual session of the 14th NPC.

Also, over the past two years, the Douyu government has invested more than 8 million yuan ($1.16 million) in the rescue and protection of the Lhoba people's language, history, traditional crafts, songs, dances, clothing and distinctive dwellings, said the head of the township.

After expansion and renovation, the Lhoba Ethnic History Museum in the township has now become a window for showcasing the culture of the ethnic group with rich history, Tashi Gyaltsen said.

It covers everything from handicrafts to agricultural traditions, the origin of the name of the ethnic group to migration history, and from the selection of materials, weaving, and dyeing of Lhoba clothing to the finished products. At the museum, people can experience the traditional culture of the Lhoba people and spend a day as a Lhoba, he added.

"But our goal is to let Lhoba culture not only remain in museums but also thrive in the lives of the people, so we have been promoting the integration of Lhoba clothing, songs, and dances into schools and daily life," Tashi Gyaltsen said.

Norbu Yangzom, an NPC deputy to the Xizang delegation from Metog county in Nyingchi city, said the county has now become a popular tourist destination and the culture of the Monba people has been further promoted.

Metog currently has a permanent population of about 15,300, with approximately 8,500 belonging to the Monba ethnicity. In recent years, through the integrated development of the cultural and tourism industries, the local area has transformed the distinctive culture of the Monba people, such as their clothing and dance, into cultural products that can be seen, tasted and felt, said the only deputy to the 14th NPC of the Monba ethnic group.

"In recent years, our village has revitalized Monba traditional textile techniques by establishing Monba clothing factories and ethnic costume cultural shops, allowing Monba attire to shine once again," said Norbu Yangzom who is an official from Metog village.

She added that Monba cuisine is particularly unique. In recent years, people in the county have further innovated and improved traditional Monba delicacies, establishing local standards for Monba specialty dishes and launching 11 distinctive Monba cuisines.

"Bringing the delicacies to the tables of tourists not only attracts a large number of visitors to Metog to enjoy the scenery and taste the food but also promotes the better inheritance and development of Monba culinary culture," she said.

Nestled below the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas and with the raging Yarlung Zangbo River running through it, the county is the last in China to be connected to the outside world by paved road in 2013.

"I still remember the first time I came to Beijing for the annual session of the 14th NPC. When people asked me where I was from, I said Metog, and many had never heard of it. But things are different now," she said.

As infrastructure continues to improve and rural revitalization projects bearing fruits, the popularity of the once isolated county has been rising, attracting waves of tourists. In 2025, the county received over 700,000 visitors, generating nearly 470 million yuan in tourism revenue,

"When tourists ask me, 'Why has Metog suddenly become so popular?' I would say, it's not a coincidence. It's the result of years of implementing rural vitalization policies, when the time was right, the popularity naturally followed," she said.