On December 31st, the exhibition "Exchange and Mutual Learning: Silk Road Art in the Dunhuang Grottoes and Hexi Corridor" opened at the History and Folklore Museum of Shenzhen Museum. The exhibition is sponsored by Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Sports and Tourism, Gansu Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, and organized by Dunhuang Research Institute, Shenzhen Museum, Gansu Provincial Museum, and Gansu Jianmu Museum. Tianshui City Museum, Wuwei City Museum, Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum, Dunhuang City Museum, Shandan County Museum, Lingtai County Museum, Jingchuan County Museum participated in the co-organization and jointly contributed to the exhibition activities.
The exhibition is divided into three units: "Grotto Art", "Silk Road Chonghua" and "Vientiane Human World". With the overall support of the Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, the exhibition collected more than 130 pieces (sets) of cultural relics from 10 museums and cultural institutions such as the Gansu Provincial Museum. The exhibits also include four original large replica caves of Caves 45, 220, 285 and 320 of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, more than 40 Dunhuang murals and painted sculptures, more than 70 replicas of high-fidelity digital murals, and more than 20 auxiliary exhibits such as imitation canopy and pagoda.
The exhibition is unveiled
Zhang Ling, member of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, Zhang Hua, vice mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Liu Ang, deputy secretary general of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Chen Jinhai, executive deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Shenzhen Municipal CPC Committee, Zeng Xianglai, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports, Qiao Yongqing, director of the Shenzhen Municipal Cultural Relics Management Office, Ye Yang, director of the Shenzhen Museum, Zhao Shengliang, secretary of the Party Committee of the Dunhuang Research Institute, Luo Huaqing, vice president of the Dunhuang Research Institute, and Wang Qi, deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Museum, attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was presided over by Guo Xuelei, deputy director of the Shenzhen Museum.
Zeng Xianglai delivered a speech
At the opening ceremony, Zeng Xianglai delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers. He said that this exhibition is an important practice for the in-depth implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the Dunhuang Research Institute. He said: "Shenzhen has successfully introduced this exhibition through communication and negotiation with many units in Gansu, and the exhibition highlights the profundity of Dunhuang art and the long history of the Silk Road with many fine products, and sends a rich cultural feast to the majority of Shenzhen citizens." Finally, Zeng Xianglai expressed his gratitude to the various cultural and museum units in Gansu Province for their support for the development of Shenzhen's cultural and cultural undertakings, stressing that this exhibition is a model of cultural cooperation between the east and the west, laying a good foundation for promoting the Dunhuang Research Institute and other museums to set up branches in Shenzhen, and hoping that in the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan", the two places will seize the opportunity and go hand in hand to wish the exhibition a complete success.
Zhao Shengliang delivered a speech
Zhao Shengliang delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, saying that on August 19, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected the Mogao Caves and delivered an important speech. Over the past two years, the Dunhuang Research Institute has continuously studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech, worked hard to study and promote the culture of Dunhuang and the Silk Road, and launched a series of exhibitions. He said: "In this exhibition, with the support of museums across Gansu, we have linked Dunhuang culture with cultural relics unearthed along the Silk Road, and displayed the rich content of ancient Silk Road culture in a three-dimensional way. Shenzhen is a model of China's reform and opening up, and Shenzhen's spirit of inclusiveness and openness has created today's prosperity. This exhibition is held in Shenzhen and is of great significance. Finally, zhao Shengliang, on behalf of the Dunhuang Research Institute, wished the exhibition a complete success and hoped that the exhibition could further promote the inheritance and development of dunhuang and silk road culture and art.
Guests watch the exhibition
The "Grotto Art" section of the exhibition showcases the large caves copied and copied by the Dunhuang Research Institute, as well as painted sculptures, murals, Dunhuang scriptures, etc., allowing the audience to experience the beauty of Dunhuang Grotto art "immersively". The "Silk Road Chonghua" and "Vientiane Human" units focus on the essence of important Silk Road cultural relics excavated along the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, and more than 130 cultural relics (sets) on display this time bring together the essence of museum collections along the Hexi Corridor, of which 40 first-class cultural relics (groups), including mujian, Dunhuang scripture writing, wood carving, painted sculptures, silk products, gold and silverware and other cultural relics, comprehensively show the integration and achievements of Chinese and Western civilizations in Dunhuang and Hexi regions. The exhibition will also arrange a wealth of restored architectural components, 3D printed models to show the raw materials and production process of Dunhuang murals and color sculptures, combined with high-fidelity digital mural reproductions, pagodas, canopy, clothing and other auxiliary exhibits, to provide the audience with rich information for a deeper understanding of Dunhuang grotto art, feel the creativity of Chinese civilization and the aesthetics of the times.
On the afternoon of December 31st, Zhao Shengliang gave a lecture entitled "The Value of Dunhuang Culture" online live broadcast at the "Shenbo Xuetang", focusing on the overview and development history of Dunhuang Grottoes, ancient documents and artworks excavated from the Tibetan Scripture Caves, and ancient ruins and excavated cultural relics in Dunhuang area, kicking off the three-month exhibition and academic exchanges.
"Exchange and Mutual Learning: Silk Road Art in the Dunhuang Grottoes and Hexi Corridor" is located in the History and Folklore Museum of the Shenzhen Museum and is open to visitors from December 31, 2021 to March 20, 2022. During the exhibition, the wonderful exhibition content, information, etc. will also be disseminated in various forms through the official website, Weibo, WeChat, video number and other platforms, providing the public with rich online services.