The old town of Lhasa is being applied to be a world heritage site, and the drafting of application and planning of the site conservation and management are expected to be completed in July.

According to the Lhasa Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, in January of this year, the Lhasa municipal government officially began to initiate the application for the Lhasa’s old town to be listed as a world heritage site.

The area of the old town is 1.33 square kilometers, with the Jokhang Temple at the center. The Ramoche Temple and many national, autonomous, and municipal (county) level cultural relics under state protection are also located in the old town. The Jokhang Temple has already entered into the “World Heritage List” as part of the expanded projects of the Potala Palace historical architectural complex.

Phuntsok Wangdul, director of the Lhasa Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, said that the application is a comprehensive project which requires large workload and the involvement of many departments concerned.

It must first be entered into the "Chinese World Cultural Heritage Application List" before the application can be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Center.

According to an official with the Lhasa Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, the ethnic characteristics of Lhasa's old town are its dominant feature. In future,"Tibetan-style houses within the old town as well as the ethnic tradition will both be preserved on the Barkhor Street."

The official also stressed that those people who used to live in the old town are encouraged to continue to live in the old town. And those who have previously opened shops within the old town, those making handcrafts or tradesmen must also live inside.

"Only if there are local people living here, the old town can become a lively town," said the official. "We don't want Lhasa’s old town to become an empty place with hostels, restaurants, and shops run only by outsiders."

He also stressed that this was also to follow the relevant guidelines set forth by UNESCO for maintaining the authenticity and integrity of ancient cities.