The Lhasa Atlas (Chinese and Tibetan Edition) is a cultural cooperation project conducted by Chinese and Norwegian governments, in a bid to map the traditional Tibetan architecture and make a plan for protecting the ancient legacy of Lhasa.

At the launching ceremony held Monday, Norway ambassador to China Tor Chr. Hildan highlighted the significance of the atlas, saying the atlas is a fine example of China-Norway cultural cooperation.

"This atlas is a joint academic research cooperation between four Norwegian universities and higher education research institutions in Tibet," Hildan noted.

"This research cooperation has contributed to the development of new insight into the environment, culture and society of Tibet, and assisted the exchange of Tibetan and Norwegian students and researchers," said Hildan.

Documenting 336 traditional buildings in Lhasa, the atlas shows the changes of environment, history, architecture and landscape of Lhasa, providing materials and information for research so as to protect the architecture and environment of the old city.

"This book is the fruit of a seven year long intensive survey of the old city in Lhasa, parts of which are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites," said Hildan.

The atlas was first published in English in 2001, written by Knud Larsen and Amund Sinding-Larden, two architects at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This Chinese and Tibetan edition is based on the translation of the original English edition.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2005)