BEIJING, March 13, 2010 -- Tibetan traditional culture is well protected by the Chinese government, and is in the most favorable period for its development, a Tibetologist said Saturday.

China has always attached great importance to Tibet's ethnic and traditional culture, said Lhaba Puncog, director general of the Beijing-based China Tibetology Research Center, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

A scholar from the Tibetan ethnic group, Lhaba Puncog said China successfully made Life of King Gesar, a Tibetan heroic tale known as the Oriental Iliad after the Greek epic poem by Homer, a world intangible culture heritage last year, so as to better protect the epic.

The government has also invested heavily in repairing cultural relics and temples, conducted surveys on Tibetan culture, and is currently collecting ancient manuscripts and historical documents in the Tibetan language on an unprecedented scale for their protection, he said.

Commenting on the annual U.S. human rights report, which was released this week, Lhaba Puncog said "it was ridiculous to say there is 'cultural and religious suppression' in Tibet and Xinjiang."

"(They) should not draw conclusions without investigation," he said.