Digital archiving preserves Tibetan Buddhist artwork

According to Lodro Thokme, the monk in charge of relic preservation and management at the monastery, monks have recorded basic information of the works in more than 60 note books since 1986, and used scanners to record 6,000 scriptures since 2012.

"The scriptures may be damaged by frequent opening and touching, but they have little value if we lay them aside on the shelves. After digital archiving, we can share the photocopied editions with the public," he explained.

The monastery previously lacked the funds and the personnel to figure out the exact size of its collection of artwork, according to Lodro Thokme.

Since 2002, the central and Tibetan governments have invested more than 100 million yuan (around $15 million) into the renovation of the monastery and the protection of its artwork.

Currently, 50 out of 140 Tibetan Buddhist monks in the monastery are engaged in relic preservation and management.

"When the digital archiving is complete, we will issue a report on the monastery's artifacts and advise on future preservation," Sonam Wangden said.

Lodro Thokme did not give an end date for this round of archiving, but he hopes the cultural relics will live on through digital archiving to the benefit of the whole world.