The Lhasa old town renovation project was successfully completed on June 30, 2013 after six months and ten days hard working by the construction headquarters and all the participating units. [Photo/Xinhua]

Recently, the Lhasa Old Town Conservation Regulation was passed in the fifth meeting of the tenth People's Congress Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region and will be put into force on Oct. 1, 2013.

The Lhasa old town had been renovated during the past months with the Barkhor Street as the core. Except for the Jokhang Monastery which is the world cultural heritage, there are 27 temples and 56 ancient courtyards, owning a large number of precious cultural relics and historic buildings.

Dekyi Drolkar, the vice chairman of the Law Commission of People's Congress Standing Committee in Tibet considers that the Lhasa old town innovation and protection project has an important significance in inheriting and carrying forward the Tibetan culture and realizing the sustainable development and permanent utilization of the old town.

In order to satisfy the mass demand and enable the protection, utilization and administration to be legalized, the Lhasa Old Town Conservation Regulation is upgraded as a local law to strengthen the protection of the Lhasa old town.

The Regulation defines the scope of protection, namely stretching from the west of Linggor East Road to the east of Dosenge Road, and from the north of Jiangsu Road to the Linggor North Road, covering an area of 1.33sq. km.

It also regulates the way of subarea protection. Within the core protection area, which means the historical and cultural district surrounding the Barkhor Street, the buildings should not exceed 10 meters. Moreover, buildings around the Jokhang Monastery Square should keep pace with the ones in the core protection area.

Besides the core protection area, the other areas in the Lhasa old town are defined as the relief zone where the buildings cannot exceed 12 meters. The Regulation also stipulates that the ancient streets in the old town should keep the original routes, corridor, space and historical appearance.