China has basically completed the preservation project on the Potala Palace, home to the Dalai Lama, an official said Friday.

Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Tibet regional government, said at the annual session of the Chinese legislature that the work, began in 2002, was funded by the Chinese central government.

The Potala Palace, built in the seventh century, is listed on the world cultural heritage list.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2009)