Bi Hua (center), head of the Tibetan cultural delegation, presents a thangka (a Tibetan scroll painting) to Wall Street Journal Washington Bureau Chief Gerald Seib (right) and Senior Editor Bob Davis (second right) after holding a discussion on Tibetan issues on Wednesday in Washington DC. [Tan Yingzi / China Daily]

WASHINGTON - A delegation from the Tibet autonomous region is currently on a two-week trip to the United States and Canada to promote Tibetan culture.

Led by Bi Hua, a researcher from the China Tibetology Research Center, the delegation includes a painter, sociologist and local village chief from Tibet. Each will share their own experiences and insights on Tibetan culture and social development in Tibet.

On Wednesday, the delegation met experts from the Library of Congress and held a discussion with members of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial board. On Thursday, the delegates will speak with officials from the US State Department.

During the meeting with the WSJ editorial board, both sides discussed religious freedom and cultural preservation in Tibet.

A Nu, 45, the village chief of Tongga, near Lhasa, the capital of Tibet autonomous region, talked about his family and changes to his village. He said his daughter, a college graduate, can speak Tibetan, Mandarin and English, and said Tibetan children have free education, food and clothing.

"We don't expect people to change their ideas about Tibet overnight," Bi told the WSJ board. "We just want to share our stories and hopefully inspire them to re-think Tibetan issues."

Tanzen Lhundup, a researcher and deputy director of the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies at the China Tibetology Research Center, said Tibet is currently facing a rapid transitional period toward a modern economy.

"The challenge (to preserve the tradition) is unprecedented," he said.

Bob Davis, the WSJ's senior economics editor, said he was impressed by the village chief's stories and hoped he could visit Tibet someday.

"(The talk) improved my understanding of Tibet," said Robert Ourlian, WSJ news editor.

The delegation will later head to New York City, Denver, Ottawa and Toronto, to meet local students, academics and community leaders.