The third edition of the Catalogueof Chinese Publications in Tibetan Studies from 1996 to 2000 was recently published by the Foreign Languages Press.

    This is a happy event in the circle of Tibetan researchers and the catalogue should be valued, said Lhagba Puncog, director-general of the China Tibetology Research Center.

    The catalogue lists more than 950 books published by over 100 publishing houses in China, excluding those published in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. The books listed in the volume comprise 429 books written in Tibetan, 520 in Chinese and seven in English.

    The catalogue is the continuation of the two catalogues of books in Tibetan studies published in 1994 and 1997 respectively, Lhagba Puncog said.

    The publication of the third edition of the Catalogue of Chinese Publications in Tibetan Studies will not only offer convenience for Tibetologists and readers interested in the development of Tibet, but also rebut the fallacy that "Tibetan culture has become extinct" spread by the Dalai Lama clique, he said.

    The publication of books on Tibetan studies released over the past 50 years shows that the Tibetan culture has been effectively protected. The process of making the catalogue produced jointly byscholars of the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups reflects China's efforts in systematizing ancient Tibetan books and academic works.The Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government have devoted great manpower and large amounts of funds to protecting Tibetan culture and ancient books, Lhagba Puncog said.

    Since the China Tibetology Research Center was set up 15 years ago, nearly 300 types of research findings on Tibetan philosophy, religion, history, culture and economy have been published in overone million copies, he added.