The city government of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is investing 1.2 billion yuan (196 million U.S. dollars) to upgrade infrastructure in the old urban areas.

The face-lift project will cover upgrading of water supply, drainage, pipelines, electrical lines and street lamps, as well as the building of heating facilities, preservation of buildings with Tibetan architecture styles, and improvement of sanitation services.

Covering an area of 1.33 square km, the old urban areas of Lhasa have a population of 80,000 and boasts the famed Barkhor Street, featured by bustling businesses, tourists and cultural sites, and the Jokhang Temple, one of the major monasteries and a World Cultural Heritage site in Tibet.

"To protect the ancient temples and street, the government and cultural relics preservation authorities had joint hands to work out a delicate and scientific renovation plan, so that we can eliminate safety hazards and protect the religious sites," said Chimed Tsering, deputy head of the Chengguan District government.

The renovation plan was raised early in March, and 96 percent of local residents who responded questionnaires agreed, Chimed Tsering said.

For years, local legislators and political advisors have put forward motions and proposals for renovating infrastructures in the old city zone and strengthening protection of cultural relics there, according to Chimed Tsering.

"It's not a proposal of my own, it is the reflection of the aspiration of most of the residents in the old city zone," said Gamtsu, a deputy to the Lhasa city people's congress, the local legislative body.

Gamtsu said that there are problems with the water supply and drainage facilities in the old city zone and irregularities in electrical line connections, posing safety risks.

The Barkhor Street, with a history dating back to the seventh century, was originally a dirt road and was later built into a road with stone surface, said Dorje, deputy head of the Barkhor Street neighborhood committee.

The street has gone through several renovations since the 1980s, including one in 2002 which covered the road with granite and resulted in the building of water supply facilities and new electrical lines at a cost of 170 million yuan of government investment.

"The living environment is not as good as that of modern apartments. Most of my neighbors have moved into new residential districts, and the old houses on the street are rented by people from outside Lhasa who seek jobs or do businesses," said Drolma Lhamo, who lives in Barkhor, adding that she is very glad that conditions will be improved through the renovation.

"But it's a little bit inconvenient when I want to shop, because I can go shopping just downstairs before," she said.

To make way for the renovation project, which began last week, local authorities have provided a venue for free to nearly 3,000 vendors in the Yutuo Road, 300 meters west of Barkhor Street.

Ninety-one percent of the vendors there said they support the renovation and could understand the relocation, Chimed Tsering added.

Tsetop, a vendor who ran a booth in the Barkhor Street but now has moved to Yutuo said, "I used to be charged a fee for my booth by commerce administration, but the booths in Yutuo Street are free. And my business didn't suspend because of the relocation."

Sangye, another vendor on the street said people in winter often sell padded coats and shoes mostly for local residents and the relocation didn't affect his business too much.

"But I hope we can go back to Barkhor when the tourism season begin from May, as tourists don't know much about the Yutuo Road," said Sangye, adding that their income mainly depends on selling accessories and other Tibetan-style souvenirs to tourists from May to October.

The face-lift project is scheculed to be completed by the end of July next year. "We will solicit opinions from the public when the project is completed and make a good arrangement of booths previously located in the Barkhor Street," Chimed Tsering said.

Nyima Tsering, a monk of Jokhang Temple said, "The project will be significant for the protection of the ancient city. I believe a pristine, neat and beautiful Lhasa will appear in the future as long as the renovation can maintain its traditional style."