The Norbulingka Park, a world famous tourist attraction in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, reopened to visitors on Sunday after being closed for four months for a major facelift, park administration announced.

The major renovation project, which also covered the Potala Palace in Lhasa and the Sagya Lamasery near Xigaze, was launched on June 26, 2002, with a total spending of 330 million yuan (US$40 million).

The renovation of the Norbulingka Park alone cost some 67.44 million yuan (US$8.15 million), said Ma Yigang, chief of the park administration, on Sunday.

The Norbulingka Park, also known as the Norbug Linkha, which means the "treasure garden" in the Tibetan language, is reputed for a perfect combination of natural beauty and unique Tibetan culture. It used to be the summer residential palace of the Dalai Lama and was listed as a world cultural heritage by the UNESCO in 1994.

In an earlier interview with Xinhua, Qamba Gesang, from the Potala Palace Administration, said many activities would be held in the renovated Norbulingka Park or on the square at the foot of the Potala Palace to mark the upcoming 40th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which falls on August 15. 

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2005)