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Firemen in monasteries guard Tibetan relics

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-23 19:52

In December, teams of about 10 firemen along with fire fighting equipment were each deployed at the Sera, Zhaibung and Gandan monasteries.

"The move is significant for the safety of cultural relics in the temples and the lives of monks, believers and tourists," says Khyungse, political commissar of the Tibet regional fire brigade.

More than two decades later, the devastating fire is an enduring lesson.

Zhan Shenghong, 17, the youngest fireman in the Sera Monastery, said he knew nothing about Tibetan history, religion and temples when he joined the team in December.

He received 10 days of training before his posting, during which firemen from the Potala Palace passed on their experience. Besides, Tibetologists explained how to talk to the monks respectfully and courteously. He also attends seminars about fire prevention or Tibetan culture each week.

"Winter, the dry season, is especially important in fire prevention because of the wooden constructions," Zhan says.

The Tibetan language lessons have helped him befriend the monks. "They teach me some simple sentences (in Tibetan) every day," he says.

Many of Tibet's historic sites, including the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and the Drepung, Sera, Ganden, Tashilhunpo, and Sakya monasteries are under the protection of the state or the regional government, which allocate a funds annually for their maintenance.

Since the 1980s, more than 700 million yuan (about US$102 million) and large amounts of gold and silver have been allocated to restore religious sites. Tibet has more than 1,700 religious sites, accommodating 46,000 monks and nuns.

For Logsang, fire prevention may be the most significant measure to protect these sites due to their materials and characteristics.

The Potala Palace has seen four major fires since it was originally built in the Seventh Century. It was ruined in a fire caused by lightning, and subsequently restored by the Fifth Dalai Lama more than 300 years ago.

Now, the fire brigade has been equipped with high-tech facilities, including smoke and temperature sensors in the prayer halls, and high-pressure water mist fire extinguishers.

It is hoped the water mist extinguishers would cause less damage to the paper scriptures than regular water sprinklers, Logsang says.

But the most important safety measure is still "the human factor".

"Our strategy is just to keep a close watch on everything," he says.

Every fireman in the brigade can move from the foot of the palace to the top within five minutes, compared with an hour or longer for visitors.

They hold monthly drills, when every fireman must show he remembers the exact location of every cultural relic in the palace and how to fight fires in different areas.

It's tough, but necessary and worthwhile, Logsang said.

"If they burn, they will be forever gone," he says.

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