Premier Li Keqiang stressed the importance of protecting cultural relics while visiting the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, on July 27.

The Premier visited several palace halls and enquired about painting and sculpture craftsmanship, architectural style and historical background.

Premier Li was told that the Potala Palace houses a vast number of scriptures in Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Manchu and Sanskrit languages, making it the first to have such a collection in the country. Currently, only 60 percent of the scriptures have been catalogued.

Cultural relics at the palace are treasures of both the Chinese nation and human civilization, said the Premier, urging great efforts to protect, study and inherit them.