buddhist art in different countries slik road

In recent years, exhibitions showcasing Dunhuang's relics to Western audiences such as those in California have been extremely well-received, with more foreign institutions expressing an interest in hosting events and collaborating with the academy, Zhao says.Īt another level, the academy is forging ties abroad through academic exchanges and the transfer of its relics conservation expertise to other heritage sites such as Cambodia's Angkor Wat, areas in countries under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative global development drive. They can feel the links with the West from the past.' When Westerners see Dunhuang art, they may not find it alien or foreign or distant. 'Dunhuang is about East-West cultural exchange.

We can allow more people, allow more countries, to understand Dunhuang art,' Zhao says. 'Through the art of Dunhuang, we take on the role of cultural diplomacy. Zhao Shengliang, director of the Dunhuang Academy, which manages and studies the caves, says Dunhuang is well-poised to tap the successful preservation and promotion of its cultural treasure trove, to firmly take its place as a hub of international exchange. The importance of the relics goes beyond their religious significance to encompass Dunhuang's unique position as a cultural hub bringing together the world's great civilizations.ĭuring his inspection tour of the site in August, President Xi Jinping stressed the need to step up support in carrying forward and promoting the culture of Dunhuang to preserve 'our quintessence'. The major paintings, sculptures and writings in about 500 caves of the UNESCO World Heritage Site on the outskirts of the oasis date back to the fourth century, spanning the golden ages of the Tang and other seminal dynasties. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) mural itself comes from Cave 323 of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, which boasts one of the finest repositories of Buddhist art in the world. Zhang's expeditions, as many Chinese people know, paved the way to what later became the Silk Road, the historic trading network linking East and West, with world-binding influences expanding to the cultural, social and other spheres that continue to be felt today. Scholars have since attributed the scene to that of Zhang Qian bidding farewell to the Western Han Dynasty's (206 BC-AD 24) Emperor Wu, who had sent his imperial emissary on a trailblazing diplomatic mission to the western regions. The mural depicts a robe-clad figure flanked by envoy-like emblems, seemingly prostrate before an august figure on horseback with a royal retinue. Historic Silk Road hub set to continue playing a leading role in global learning and exchange, Alexis Hooi reports. A researcher from the Dunhuang Academy works on a replica of the mural in Cave 254.

Buddhist art in different countries slik road