With a total investment of 1.2 million yuan (about 0.15 million USD), the renovation on "Da Tang Tian Zhu Shi Chu Ming" (Inscription about the Great Tang Envoys to Hindu) has been completed, according to the TAR Cultural Relics Bureau.

Unearthed in Xigaze in early 1990s, the petroglyph, "Da Tang Tian Zhu Shi Chu Ming" is believed to be the earliest cliffside carved inscriptions in Chinese discovered in Tibet. Experts estimate that the inscriptions can date back to AD 658.

With a width of 1.5 meters and a height of 4 meters, the petroglyph has 311 Chinese characters in 24 lines in Chinese regular script and has been listed to be the fifth group of national key cultural relics.

The petroglyph records how the diplomatic envoys from Tang Dynasty conquer difficulties to arrive in Hindu for a diplomatic mission.

The writing has disappeared because of long history, so the renovation is imperative under this situation. A pavilion was erected for protection and some basic renovation on roads was also done. Experts also copied from the fragmentary characters for tourists to better understand the history.

Nyima Tsering, director of TAR Cultural Relics Bureau holds that this treasured inscription has important value for doing research on the ancient Tang-Tubo relationship and traffic relation between China and other countries.