Continue to guard, so that the thousand-year-old cultural treasures are still shining
Dunhuang Academy
"Every Chinese must go to Dunhuang once in his life. "Dunhuang is a world-renowned art treasure house and cultural palace, General Secretary Xi Jinping once said emotionally: "Dunhuang I have always longed for". On August 19, 2019, the general secretary visited Gansu, and the first stop was the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. At the discussion at the Dunhuang Academy, the general secretary pointed out: "Dunhuang culture lasts for nearly 2,000 years, and is the world's largest, longest-lasting, richest, and most well-preserved art treasure house, a bright pearl in the long river of world civilization, and a precious historical material for studying the politics, economy, military, culture and art of various ethnic groups in ancient China. ”
Why Dunhuang
Dunhuang is located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province. During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up four counties in Hexi, including Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang. With the prosperity of the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang became an important center for the exchange of Chinese and Western civilizations, not only a transit point for trade between the East and the West, but also a religious, cultural and artistic intersection between China and Europe, West Asia, South Asia and Central Asia. After Buddhism was introduced into China, Dunhuang was connected to the Western Regions, and the Buddhist atmosphere was strong, which created the prosperity of Buddhist grottoes. The Dunhuang Grottoes were built in the second year of the Qin Dynasty (366 AD), and after more than 1,000 years of continuous construction, a large-scale grotto group was formed.
The cultural heritage of Dunhuang includes three aspects: first, the ancient cultural relics of the Dunhuang area, such as the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, the Han Jian, and the unearthed cultural relics of various eras; the second is represented by the Mogao Grottoes, including the grottoes of the West Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Grottoes and other places; and the third is the tens of thousands of cultural relics unearthed from the Mogao Grottoes. On the cliff of more than 1,700 meters long in Mogao Grottoes, there are still more than 700 caves excavated in the 4th to 14th centuries AD, with more than 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 colored sculptures. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes represents the highest achievement of Chinese Buddhist art from the 4th to the 14th centuries AD, which not only integrates local multi-ethnic art, but also absorbs the nutrients from foreign art, forming a Dunhuang Buddhist art system with clear development context and self-contained characteristics, highlighting the magnificent Chinese style and Chinese style, which is an important contribution of the mainland to the development of Buddhist art in the world, and occupies an important position in the history of Chinese and world art.
The Dunhuang murals show rich and detailed content and complex and grand scenes. According to the theme content, Dunhuang murals can be divided into 7 categories, such as statue painting, Buddhist scripture story painting, scripture change painting, Chinese traditional immortal painting, Buddhist historical site painting, donor portrait, decorative pattern painting, etc., from the artistic aspect, it covers figure painting, landscape painting, architectural painting, decorative painting, etc., and systematically retains the authentic works of Chinese painting from the 4th to 14th centuries AD. In the early period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern Dynasties, the Dunhuang murals were greatly influenced by the Buddhist art style of the Western Regions, and in the later period of the Northern Dynasties, a strong Central Plains style appeared, and the Tang Dynasty integrated the advantages of the Central Plains and Western Regions paintings, and the figure paintings developed greatly. For example, in the "Vimala Sutra Changes" in Cave 103 of the Tang Dynasty in Mogao Grottoes, the painter uses a vigorous and upright and varied line drawing to show the spiritual outlook of the Vimala monks who are dressed in fluttering clothes and are good at debating, which is the characteristic of the "Wu Belt Style" of Wu Daozi, the "painting saint" of the Tang Dynasty. The Dunhuang murals also reflect many scenes of ancient social life and customs, such as agriculture in Cave 25 of Yulin Caves showing agricultural farming, sowing, harvesting and raising fields, handicrafts and commerce such as the murals of Yulin Cave 3 showing iron striking and winemaking, customs and folk customs such as the picture of a mother pushing a four-wheeled stroller depicted in Cave 156 of Mogao Caves, and so on, which can be called a museum and encyclopedic murals on the wall.
On the west side of the north wall of Cave 323 of Mogao Grottoes, the picture of Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions drawn in the Tang Dynasty is vivid and the storyline is complete, which can be called the fine art of Dunhuang murals. The picture shows Cave 323 of Mogao Grottoes "Zhang Qian's Envoy to the Western Regions". Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
Dunhuang colored sculptures are an important part of Dunhuang art. Among the various colored sculptures in Dunhuang, there are not only the statues of Buddhas, but also the statues of Bodhisattvas and disciples, as well as the statues of various kings and wrestlers. Different styles of painted sculptures in various periods can be seen not only from ancient India and Central Asia, and even ancient Greece, but also from the Central Plains style, reflecting the process of Chinese sculpture absorbing foreign culture and creating art with Chinese style. For example, the themes, sitting postures, images, and clothing patterns of the early statues of the Dunhuang Grottoes still retain the style of the Western Regions, but the faces, body shapes, and clothing of the characters have gradually shown the elegance and charm of the Wei and Jin dynasties. The Zen Buddha statue of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Cave 259 of Mogao Grottoes, the face is quiet and serene, the eyes are gentle and kind, and the deep concave mouth corners are portrayed to make the face full of a kind smile, which is not only influenced by Gandhara art, but also contains the traditional Chinese aesthetic concept, and is a classic work of early color sculpture in Dunhuang. There are many fine colored sculptures in Dunhuang, which are still gorgeous and exquisite after more than 1,000 years, vividly embodying the uninterrupted exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures on the ancient Silk Road, highlighting the superb skills and outstanding creativity of ancient sculptors in the mainland, which is also an important source for the Chinese nation to survive for more than 5,000 years.
The Dunhuang Cave is a treasure of ancient cultural classics in the mainland. In 1900, the cave was discovered in the Mogao Grottoes, in which tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts and a small number of prints in multiple scripts were unearthed, as well as cultural relics such as silk paintings and embroidery. The first is religious classics, of which 90% of Dunhuang literature is Buddhist classics, such as the "Six Ancestors Altar Sutra" spoken by the six ancestors of Zen Buddhism Hui Neng. The second is Confucian classics, such as "Zhou Yi" and "Analects" (exposition) and so on. The third is historical and geographical documents, such as the "Atlas of the Shazhou Governor's Mansion", which records the rivers, canals, roads, schools, ancestral temples, places of interest and historic sites in Dunhuang County, which is an important material for studying the geography of Dunhuang in the Tang Dynasty. Fourth, scientific and technological literature, such as astronomy has the Tang Dynasty's "All Heaven Star Map", medicine's Tang Dynasty acupuncture treatment monograph "Moxibustion Law Map", as well as the Tang Dynasty engraving book. Fifth, literary classics, including traditional literary works and many popular literary manuscripts. Sixth, official and private documents, such as "Zhang Junyi's Honorable Notice", which is a letter of appointment granted by the Tang Dynasty government to Zhang Junyi and other 263 meritorious soldiers. Seventh, non-Chinese literature, such as the Sogdian Sutra of Good and Evil Cause and Effect, the Buddhist scriptures and prayers written in Uighur script, the Tibetan Genealogy of the Tibetan Zanpu, and the Khotanese and Turkic documents. Eight is silk, paper, linen painting and embroidery and other works of art, such as silk painting guide Bodhisattva, embroidery Liangzhou Rui statue, and so on. Many of the cultural relics unearthed in the cave are lost manuscripts, and they are the original records of ancient society and culture, reflecting the true face of ancient society in many aspects.
There are many fine colored sculptures in Dunhuang, which are still gorgeous and exquisite after more than 1,000 years. For example, in the 45th cave of Mogao Grottoes, the sculptor has created a group of exquisite group portraits with exquisite skills, showing a vibrant world through the combination of different identities and different personalities. The picture shows the colorful sculpture of the Buddha shrine on the west wall of Cave 45 of Mogao Grottoes. Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
The reason why Dunhuang is desirable lies in its rich cultural accumulation. Looking back on the millennium, the Han, Qiang, Xiongnu, Xianbei, Tuyuhun, Tubo, Uighur, Dangxiang, Mongolian and other ethnic groups lived together here, creating a brilliant and distinctive national culture, and these national cultures eventually converged into the ocean of Chinese culture, and Dunhuang culture has thus become an important embodiment of the pluralistic integration, innovation and creation of Chinese civilization. Dunhuang culture is based on traditional Chinese civilization and linked by the Silk Road, and has widely absorbed a variety of cultures with an open attitude, thus forming a unique, broad and profound connotation. As a transit station between the Eastern and Western worlds, various civilizations converge here, the ancient Indian, Central Asian, Persian, and Greek art in the Dunhuang Grottoes is colorful, and the Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism in the Tibetan Scripture Cave documents have both multiple beliefs, all of which prove that Chinese culture has an eclectic, open and inclusive mind for world civilizations. Mr. Ji Xianlin once said: "The splendor of Dunhuang culture is the fusion of the essence of the cultures of all ethnic groups in the world, and it is also a model of Chinese civilization that has been continuously integrated for thousands of years." ”
Guarding Dunhuang
Cultural relics carry the splendid civilization, inherit the history and culture, and maintain the national spirit, which is the precious heritage left to us by our ancestors. Dunhuang culture integrates architectural art, colored sculpture art, mural art, and Buddhist culture, with a strong historical heritage and profound cultural connotation. In a certain sense, the protection of Dunhuang is the protection of the Chinese cultural context and the protection of the world cultural heritage. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "It is the responsibility of the Chinese nation to protect the Mogao Grottoes and inherit the Dunhuang culture for the progress of world civilization." ”
On January 1, 1944, the National Dunhuang Art Research Institute was formally established, and the Dunhuang Grottoes ended nearly 400 years of unmanaged, destroyed, and repeatedly destroyed and stolen. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Dunhuang Art Research Institute was renamed the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute, which was highly valued by the party and the state, and established the working policy of "protection, research and promotion" for it. In the early 60s of the 20th century, under the very difficult situation of national finance, a huge amount of money was allocated to properly protect the endangered cliffs and caves of Mogao Grottoes through large-scale reinforcement and maintenance projects, and foreign experts and advanced restoration technology were introduced for the protection of Mogao Grottoes, which promoted the rescue protection of Mogao Grottoes. After the reform and opening up, the protection of Dunhuang cultural relics has entered a new stage of international cooperation, scientific protection, promotion and dissemination. In the 80s of the 20th century, the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute was expanded into the Dunhuang Academy, expanding the establishment, increasing the number of departments, and gathering talents. In 2003, the special regulations on the protection of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province were promulgated and implemented, providing strong legal support and guarantee for the protection, utilization and management of the Mogao Grottoes. In 2011, the Master Plan for the Protection of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang (2006-2025) was officially promulgated and implemented, which put forward the goal of "overall protection", planned the heritage protection, ecological protection and tourism development of the heritage site, and provided a professional, authoritative and guiding basis for the protection, utilization and management of the Mogao Grottoes.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, remarkable results have been achieved in the protection of Dunhuang's cultural heritage. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the protection of Dunhuang cultural heritage, personally visited Dunhuang, presided over a symposium and delivered an important speech, and made a series of important instructions on the protection of Dunhuang cultural heritage and the study of Dunhuang culture, pointing out the direction for the protection of Dunhuang cultural heritage. From building a model of world cultural heritage protection, to building a highland for Dunhuang studies, from inheriting the Mogao spirit from generation to generation, to carrying forward Dunhuang culture...... The earnest concern and earnest entrustment reflect the general secretary's deep complex and profound thinking on the protection of Dunhuang's cultural heritage. Implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and instructions, with the support of many parties, it has successively established the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Protection Research Center in Gansu Province, and built the first multi-field coupling laboratory in the field of cultural relics protection in China to provide scientific and technological support for the protection of cultural heritage; Preserve, protect, and promote. According to statistics, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage has approved the implementation of 51 cultural relics protection projects such as Mogao Grottoes ontology protection, cliff reinforcement, and environmental remediation. Up to now, the Dunhuang Academy has completed the overall protection and repair of 86 caves, forming a complete set of key technical systems such as the protection of ancient murals, the reinforcement of sand and gravel rock caves, the comprehensive protection of wind and sand disasters, and the monitoring and early warning of grottoes, laying the foundation for deepening the protection of cultural relics and the development of cultural heritage.
Over the past 80 years, from the initial sand removal with both hands, diversion of water and sand washing, and the construction of "adobe sand control walls", to cliff reinforcement, environmental protection, and then to multi-field coupled experimental protection research, from early natural opening to appointment-based visits, from the initial caretaker protection to today's rescue protection and preventive protection, from the operation of the digital exhibition center to the opening of the "Digital Dunhuang" resource library, and then to the launch of the world's first time-space participatory museum "Digital Scripture Cave...... With the changes of the times, the methods, technologies, means and systems of Dunhuang cultural heritage protection have been continuously upgraded and improved, so that the Dunhuang grottoes have been the most effective protection.
Over the past 80 years, in order to preserve the cultural relics of Dunhuang for a long time and to continue the inheritance of Dunhuang culture, several generations of Mogao Grottoes people represented by Chang Shuhong, Duan Wenjie and Fan Jinshi have started from a difficult start, tortuous exploration to vigorous development, and have written the legend of Dunhuang that has attracted the attention of the world by living deep in the desert, so that the prosperous era of Mogao Grottoes, which has been deposited for thousands of years, has been restored. "Since Mr. Chang Shuhong, the people of Mogao Grottoes have always had a mission to protect this cultural treasure of mankind. Fan Jinshi, honorary president of the Dunhuang Academy, once said, "To hand over the Mogao Grottoes to the next generation in good condition, worthy of the ancestors and regrets, this is the responsibility and mission." ”
Carry forward Dunhuang
Protecting and inheriting historical and cultural heritage is responsible for history and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Historical and cultural heritage carries the genes and blood of the Chinese nation, not only to our generation, but also to future generations. "In the new era and new journey, we must work harder to protect the cultural heritage of Dunhuang, conduct in-depth research, excavate, interpret, inherit and carry forward its value and connotation, provide rich nourishment for the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, and make Dunhuang culture bloom with more brilliant brilliance of the times.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to strengthen the protection of cultural relics and cultural heritage. Cultural relics are non-renewable, and "protection first" is the primary principle of cultural relics in the new era. The Dunhuang Academy has explored a variety of innovative means to realize the transition from passive rescue protection to active preventive protection. The picture shows the restoration site of the cultural relics of Cave 55 of Mogao Grottoes taken in 2024. Courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
Adhere to scientific and technological innovation, and protect and inherit the historical context. The protection of cultural relics is the top priority of the Dunhuang Academy. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Historical and cultural heritage is left to us by our ancestors, and we must hand it over to future generations in its entirety." Over the years, the Dunhuang Academy has continuously strengthened the basic and applied research on the protection of cultural relics, strengthened the scientific and technological protection of cultural relics, conquered a series of key core technologies, and summed up a complete set of "Dunhuang experience" in the fields of mural protection, earthen site protection, and digital research of cultural relics. At present, the Dunhuang Academy is committed to promoting the basic research, applied research and technology research and development of important cultural relics resources such as grottoes, murals and earthen sites in mainland China, gathering and attracting top talents in cultural heritage protection from all over the world, solving major scientific problems and technical bottlenecks in the frontier field of cultural heritage protection, and serving and supporting the national cultural strategy. It is necessary to continue to carry out major scientific research projects for the protection of cultural relics, steadily improve the level of basic research on the protection of cultural relics science and technology, accelerate the digitization process of the Dunhuang Grottoes and the six grottoes affiliated to the institute, and continuously enrich the content of the resource library on the basis of the world's first blockchain-based "Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library" and "Digital Scripture Cave" museum, so as to realize the activation and utilization of digital resources and the innovative development of diversification.
Dig deep into the cultural value of Dunhuang and build a solid foundation for cultural self-confidence. The Dunhuang culture, which is mainly composed of the cultural relics unearthed from the Dunhuang Grottoes and the Tibetan Scripture Cave, carries a profound historical heritage and cultural connotation, and is a precious historical material for studying the ancient history and culture of the mainland. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "To study and promote Dunhuang culture, we must not only deeply excavate the philosophical thoughts, humanistic spirit, values, and moral norms behind Dunhuang culture and historical relics, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture, but also reveal the cultural spirit, cultural mind and cultural self-confidence of the Chinese nation contained therein, so as to provide spiritual support for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era." "It is necessary to continue to promote the research of various disciplines of Dunhuang Studies, and expand the research fields, especially in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, the study of the Silk Road ethnic culture, etc., to continuously achieve new results; to promote archaeological investigation and excavation, to speed up the preparation of archaeological reports on Dunhuang Grottoes, to provide first-hand information for the study of Dunhuang Studies; to actively build a system of archaeological research in Dunhuang, to form a standard and standard for the preparation of archaeological reports on cave temples, to truly form archaeology with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese style, and to lead the archaeological work of domestic cave temples.
Strengthen the activation and utilization to help the inheritance and development of culture. Cultural relics are the witness of history and the carrier of culture. In the long years of more than 1,000 years, Dunhuang has accumulated and preserved a rich and colorful and precious cultural heritage. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly pointed out that it is necessary to protect and manage the cultural relics that condense the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and at the same time strengthen research and utilization, so that history and cultural relics can speak. It is necessary to systematically sort out traditional cultural resources, so that the cultural relics collected in the Forbidden Palace, the heritage displayed on the vast land, and the words written in ancient books are all brought to life. In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has deeply excavated and displayed Dunhuang art and its research results, and held "Dunhuang Art Exhibition", "Digital Dunhuang Exhibition" and "Dunhuang Art Boutique University Public Welfare Tour" in more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, as well as more than 10 countries and regions such as the United States, France, Italy and Turkey. It is necessary to further intensify efforts to continuously launch different forms of Dunhuang art exhibitions at home and abroad, and tell the story of Dunhuang in a form that people like to see.
Carry forward the excellent traditional culture and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other because of exchanges, and develop because of mutual learning. As an important gateway from China to the Western Regions, Dunhuang was where ancient Chinese civilization and ideas, religions, arts, and cultures from different countries and regions such as ancient India, ancient Greece, and ancient Persia converged and blended. With an open and inclusive mind, the Chinese civilization has continuously absorbed and learned from the achievements of outstanding civilizations outside the region, creating a unique Dunhuang culture and the spirit of the Silk Road. In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has actively served the construction of the "Belt and Road", carried out exchanges and cooperation with institutions of higher learning, cultural and museum institutions and all walks of life in the co-construction countries, organized six batches of experts and scholars to visit India, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran and other countries and regions, and conducted in-depth research on the ethnic, religious, social and cultural themes of the countries and regions around Dunhuang and the Silk Road and the development and changes of the Silk Road, so as to provide academic support for the construction of the "Belt and Road". It is necessary to further give full play to its own advantages, promote international cooperation and exchanges, continue to strengthen academic and cultural exchanges with international Dunhuang studies research institutions and cultural heritage management institutions of the countries jointly built by the Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance the dissemination and influence of Dunhuang culture abroad.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Dunhuang Academy. Forge ahead for 80 years and set sail on a new journey. We will keep in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's entrustment, take care of Dunhuang, a precious cultural heritage of mankind, and let Dunhuang culture glow with the charm of the new era.