Tibet to build 1st cultural project database

　　BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The Cultural Department of Tibet is soliciting unique culture projects from all social sectors to help set up Tibet‘s first culture industrial project database.

　　The projects submitted will be assessed by experts and by doing so, the Culture Department can make better use of Tibet‘s unique and rich cultural resources to promote the development of major cultural projects, said Chen Wende, deputy director of the Tibet Office of the Restructuring of the Cultural System.

　　Tibetan people perform the dance named "Happiness of harvest" during the 8th Mount Qomolangma Cultural Festival in Xigaze, in southwestern China‘s Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2006. (Xinhua/Soinam Norbu)

　　Meanwhile, the move can also help Tibet cultivate its renowned cultural brands and foster key cultural enterprises.

　　The projects will fall into eight categories including some to develop unique culture, others to provide service for culture and arts and still others to produce films and TV programs, comic and animation.

　　Those projects, once included in the database, will be operated in accordance with market rules, said Chen. They are expected to bring in "good social effects and high economic returns."

　　Tibetan people perform traditional dance during the 8th Mount Qomolangma Cultural Festival in Xigaze, in southwestern China‘s Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2006. The (Xinhua/Soinam Norbu)

　　When the database is completed, the unique cultural projects will be listed in the financing and investment service platform for the cultural projects of Tibet Autonomous Region and be managed by various partners.

　　The Cultural Department will also allocate funds for the outstanding projects that will be potentially competitive in the market.　

　　In recent years, with the rapid development of the tourism industry, Tibet‘s cultural market has also achieved an unprecedented prosperity and development. There have been some leading cultural enterprises like the Lhasa Niangre Folk Customs Theme Park and Himalaya Cultural Development Co Ltd.

　　Tibetan artists have also produced fine works showcasing Tibetan‘s ethnic features, for instance, the large-scale dance "On the Road," ethnic dance "the Himalaya" and Tibetan opera "Princess Wencheng."

　　However, as the development of the cultural market in Tibet is still lagging behind, the cultural sector requires more investment and cooperation.