LHASA, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet opened on Friday in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China.

The one-day forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the people's government of Tibet Autonomous Region, gathers nearly 160 scholars and officials from 37 countries and regions.

Focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative and Tibet's opening-up and development, attendees will discuss topics such as the role of Tibet in the building of the Belt and Road, and the opening-up of Tibet and the inheritance and development of Tibetan culture.

Prior to the forum, the delegates visited villages, elementary schools and maker-spaces in Nyingchi of southeast Tibet, and held talks with people from various walks of life.

In the regional capital Lhasa, they visited a welfare facility, a hospital specialized in Tibetan medicine and a high school. They visited the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street to learn first-hand about the protection of cultural relics and traditional culture in Tibet.

The delegates also visited a memorial hall that marks the emancipation of serfs. This year, Tibet celebrates the 60th anniversary of democratic reform that abolished serfdom.