Tibet begins construction of expo park

The construction of an arts and cultural expo park to promote Tibetan culture began in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday.

The park in Dagze County, some 20 km from the regional capital Lhasa, will cover an area of 133 hectares and will be completed in three phases.

The first phase consists of construction of a museum and trade and research centers for tangka, a style of Tibetan art that involves painting on embroidery. Also, a structure for traditional Tibetan cultural shows will be built, said Dorji Tonzhub, chairman of Tibet Gangdi Cultural Industry Group, a private corporation in charge of building the project.

With investment of 1.18 billion yuan (192 million U.S. dollars), the first phase will be completed in three years and provide more than 1,000 jobs, said Dorji Tonzhub.

It is estimated the park will attract two million tourists a year.

He did not provide details on the second and third phases.

"The expo park will be the biggest platform to display distinctive Tibetan culture for tourists and boost development of the cultural industry," said Dorji Tonzhub.

Tibet aims the added value of the region's cultural industry to account for more than 3 percent of its gross domestic product in 2015.