Briefly

TIBET

Ancient texts archived at Tibet's Potala Palace

More than 1.1 million folios of 3,281 ancient books and documents have been archived over the past three years at Potala Palace in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region. The progress was announced at a relics protection conference in the region, following completion of the first phase of a 10-year project that began in late 2018. It aims to protect ancient texts at the palace, with a total investment of 300 million yuan ($47 million). Potala Palace, located in the regional capital of Lhasa, was built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century and expanded in the 17th century. The palace was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 and holds a collection of invaluable scriptures, historical documents and precious relics, including statues, paintings and frescoes.

BEIJING

Crackdown on costly funeral services

The Beijing Health Commission said on Monday that profit-making funeral service providers operating in hospital mortuaries have been banned in the wake of an investigation earlier this month into a high-profile case at a morgue found charging exorbitant funeral fees. The commission urged relevant departments to strengthen the inspection and management of morgues to protect the public interest. Bereaved family members requiring funeral services should contact funeral parlors in Beijing for proper service, it said. On April 8, a Beijing resident reported to a local radio station that he had been charged 38,570 yuan ($6,050) for the use of the morgue at Peking University Third Hospital, which had been outsourced, to store his wife's body for less than three days. Most of the cost came from unnecessary services, such as a 5,990 yuan fee for "spa services" for the deceased.

Xinhua - China Daily