Excavated Diversity

Dunhuang culture，represented by theBuddhist art of theMogao Grottoes andthe cultural relics of the LibraryCave of the Mogao Grottoes， hassurvived and developed for nearly2，000 years. It is the world’s largest，longest-lasting， and best-preservedart treasury with the richest contenttoday. Over the course of nearly2，000 years of history， Chinese andother cultures collided and engagedin exchange there， and the dialogueamong diverse civilizations hasechoed throughout the caverns eversince.

From Wilderness to Art Palace

The Dunhuang grottoes consistof cave complexes in six differentlocations. Due to the fact that themain grottoes at Mogao are situatedin Dunhuang and the artistic stylesof all the grottoes followed thesame tradition， they are collectivelyknown as the Dunhuang grottoes.

According to Zhang Yuanlin，deputy director of the DunhuangAcademy， the term “Dunhuang”（literally “greatness and splendor”）was first used by Zhang Qian，an outstanding envoy andexplorer from the Western HanDynasty （202 B.C.-8 A.D.） whenhe reported to Emperor Wu ofHan after returning from a missionto the Western Regions. Sincethen， the place has been calledDunhuang.

In 366， a Buddhist monknamed Le Zun carved out caveson the cliffs of Mingsha Mountainin the southeast of Dunhuangto practice Buddhism andmeditation， marking the beginningof construction of the MogaoGrottoes. After Le Zun， anothermonk named Fa Liang， who camefrom the east， continued the workand expanded the initial effort.Historical records don’t specify theexact time when Fa Liang built hiscave. Research shows that his cavewas probably built between 376 to385. Fan Jinshi， honorary presidentof the Dunhuang Academy，said that Dunhuang served as acultural window connecting theEast and the West， facilitatingexchange between China andforeign countries. Coupled withlong-standing local Buddhistculture， the convergence promptedLe Zun and Fa Liang to carve caveshere.

Inspired by the two eminentmonks， many other monkssubsequently gathered in the localein search of the true essence ofBuddhism. Within the following11 dynasties， 735 exquisite caves，45，000 square meters of murals，and more than 2，000 lifelikepainted sculptures were built inDunhuang. For nearly 2，000 years，generations of efforts ultimatelytransformed the land into a worldrenownedart palace. The buildersenabled future generations to take a glimpse at the splendid andmagnificent history.

Profound Dunhuang artevidences the inclusiveness ofChinese culture. From production，folk festivals， weddings andfunerals， and other aspects ofeveryday life to the architecture，clothing， and tools of different eras，the Dunhuang grottoes cover abroad spectrum of social life. Thishas made Dunhuang acclaimednot only as a cultural treasure inwhich the Eastern and Westerncultures met， but also as a museumof ancient civilizations.

Prosperity on the Ancient SilkRoad

The Dunhuang grottoes werecontinuously carved after the 4thcentury and did not fade frompublic view until after the rise ofmaritime trade in the 14th century.The reason is that the formationand prosperity of the Dunhuanggrottoes were inextricably linked tothe ancient Silk Road.

In 138 B.C. and 119 B.C.，Zhang Qian was sent on missionsto the Western Regions twice，helping blaze the ancient SilkRoad. In 121 B.C.， Dunhuangwas officially incorporated intothe territory of the Western HanDynasty. In 111 B.C.， DunhuangPrefecture was established， causingmany prominent families fromthe Central Plains to migrate toDunhuang. They brought advancedfarming， water conservancyand irrigation techniques andintroduced Confucianism andTaoism to Dunhuang. Fan Jinshibelieves that the Central Plainsculture， combined with the localculture that had accumulatedconnections with the WesternRegions and Central Asia， jointlyformed the diversity of Dunhuangculture.

The ancient Silk Road hostedtraffic for more than twomillennia. Historically， its routechanged multiple times due towars， disasters， and other factors.However， every route from theCentral Plains to Central Asiaand Europe through the WesternRegions had to pass throughDunhuang. Consequently，the area emerged as a hub ofinternational exchange alongthe Silk Road. Leveraging thisgeographical advantage， theflourishing ancient Silk Roadenriched Dunhuang. The artof Dunhuang includes muralsadorned with lions， elephants， andother animals clearly influencedby the cultures of Central Asiaand ancient India， and uniquelyshaped artifacts highlight thethriving international trade in theregion. All these factors evidencethe prosperity of Dunhuang dueto the Silk Road.

Diverse Civilizations Coexist in Harmony

The Dunhuang grottoes，though carriers of Buddhistthought， exhibit elements thatreflect the daily lives of diversecivilizations， beliefs， andethnic groups along the SilkRoad. Zhang Yuanlin calledthe harmonious coexistenceof multiple religions a majorfeature of Dunhuang culture.Throughout the extensive historyof Dunhuang， Confucian thoughthas long held a dominant positionin daily life， yet religious beliefshave shown a trend towardsdiversification. Specifically，alongside Taoism， a religionendemic to China， traces of various religions that spreadthrough Central Asia and Indiacan be found in Dunhuang. Thismade Dunhuang an importanthub for the spread and exchangeof different religions along the SilkRoad.

The murals in the MogaoGrottoes feature significantcontent dedicated to Buddhistscriptures. These images relatemany Buddhist stories andshowcase a rich secular culture.For example， in the weddingscene depicted by the mural inCave 33 of the Mogao Grottoes，one can see a “hundred-childrentent” which symbolizes theprosperity of offspring set upoutside the house. Inside thetent， parents of the newlywedand guests are seated，while the groom perform akneeling ceremony. Notably， thebride stands， while the groomprostrates on the ground. Thisceremony was influenced bythe nomadic tribes of northernChina.

Inclusive Chinese Culture

Chinese civilization has beencontinuously thriving since theday of its birth， thanks to itsunwavering commitment to finetraditional culture coupled withinclusiveness towards foreigncivilizations. Zhang Yuanlinbelieves that the formation andflourishing of Dunhuang cultureembody the lasting prosperity ofChinese civilization.

For example， the variousmurals in Dunhuang were creatednot only by Chinese artistsbut also by master paintersfrom ancient India and CentralAsia. Artists from differentregions often made differentchoices and bold innovationswhen expressing the sametheme. Precisely because ofthis， Dunhuang art exhibitsa rich diversity， reflecting acollision and fusion of differentcivilizations.

The development processof Dunhuang culture fullydemonstrated the opennessand inclusiveness of Chineseculture. Based on Central Plainsculture， Chinese culture hasboldly absorbed foreign ideasand cultures， and continuesflourishing with inclusivenessand diversity.