Market moves to modern mall as Lhasa safeguards the past

More than 3,000 street stalls along Lhasa's Yutok Street moved to a new shopping mall on Friday to better protect and upgrade the ancient city center.

The stalls, which had encircled the Jokhang Monastery in the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, used to be scattered along busy Barkhor Street.

They were moved temporarily to nearby Yutok Street late last year as part of the ancient district's renovation to meet the needs of burgeoning businesses, increased religious activities and to improve people's lives, officials said.