Located in Xigaze in the Xizang Autonomous Region and founded in the 11th century, the Sakya Monastery is renowned for its vast collections of Buddhist scriptures, murals, sculptures and historical artifacts.

Lodro Gyatso, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and executive deputy director of the Sakya Monastery's management committee, recently called for accelerated efforts to digitally preserve the monastery. Through high-resolution scanning, archival databases and virtual preservation technologies, digitizing these treasures would help safeguard them from environmental damage and ensure broader access for scholars and the public.

"Digital preservation allows cultural relics to become vivid teaching materials for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and building up China's cultural strength," he said.