LHASA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region poured more than 3.8 billion yuan (about 535.2 million U.S. dollars) into 386 cultural heritage conservation projects in the past decade, both record high figures, authorities said on Saturday.

Over the past 10 years, efforts were made to protect cultural relics such as the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which has greatly improved the status of cultural heritage conservation in Tibet, Zhao Xingbang, deputy director of the regional cultural heritage administration, said at a press conference.

The region has gradually established a public museum services system with multiple themes, optimized structures and distinctive characteristics, and more than 50 museums have been built and put into use, Zhao said.

To date, Tibet has registered 2,373 cultural relic protection sites of various levels, including 70 under the national protection level, he said.