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Analysis of tested restoration methods and their effects on historical fresco restoration cycles emphasized the specification of previous achievements and losses in the restoration industry. As examples, the wall paintings of the Dunhuang sanctuaries in China and the Trinity Gate Church in Kyiv were analyzed. Based on modern comprehensive research, periodic photo documentation and scientific monitoring of the monument, the main factors influencing the preservation of the mural of the Trinity Gate Church have been identified in the context of studying the problems of the current state of monumental painting. With a perspective on the development of heritage preservation measures and recommendations for further conservation, the study aims to determine the most effective ways to maintain the artwork's original state. The original chemical composition of the mineral pigments of the sanctuaries of Dunhuang and the Trinity Gate Church was determined. The common problems of the state of emergency for the wall paintings of Dunhuang and the Trinity Gate Church are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pelliot tibétain 1257, a manuscript discovered in Dunhuang and now housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, contains a Bilingual Tibetan–Chinese glossary that compiles some of the most fundamental Buddhist terminology and vocabulary excerpted from the Saṃdhi-nirmocana-sūtra. The Tibetan terms within this glossary were initially completed by one person, while the Chinese terms were subsequently filled in by three individuals. This vocabulary list may have served as a workbook prepared by a Tibetan teacher for Chinese students learning Tibetan vocabulary. The workbook, with Chinese vocabulary filled in by Chinese students, remained in their possession and use thereafter. The learning of Tibetan by these Chinese individuals in Dunhuang was likely closely related to the Buddhist sutra-copying project initiated by the Tibetan king at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monastic life begins with the ordination of novice monks, who start their formal training at this stage. The education of a novice involves both general cultural studies and specialized Buddhist training. However, the focus during the novice stage is predominantly on Buddhist education, which encompasses learning monastic discipline and studying Buddhist scriptures. The Dunhuang manuscripts offer a wealth of information, providing valuable insights into the training and education of novice monks in Dunhuang during the periods of Tibetan Occupation (787–848) and Guiyi Army (851–1036). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that Sogdian documents found in Dunhuang mainly concerned the Buddhist faith, they preserved important evidence about names and descriptions of deities rooted in the traditional religion of Sogdiana. This was a local form of Zoroastrianism called Xian in Chinese chronicles. Two 8th–9th cc. A.D. Buddhist texts in Sogdian from Dunhuang explicitly associated three Xian deities to Indian counterparts and even described their attributes. This paper discusses one deity not associated with any Sogdian god, namely Vreshman or Vaishramana, the Buddhist guardian (or lokapala) of the north. Sogdians probably identified him with Tish who usually appeared in pre-Islamic Sogdian art together with Nana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the cult of Mount Wutai was a milestone event in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Crucial in that development was a novel depiction of Mañjuśrī, believed to be transmitting the deity's "true visage" (zhenrong). While consensus suggests that the primary new aspect of that depiction is the ethnicity of the attendant for Mañjuśrī's animal vehicle, it is puzzling that the true visage of a saintly figure is defined externally, by his attendant, rather than internally, within his own stylistic or iconographic configuration. This paper critically re-evaluates arguments and evidence surrounding this issue and argues that the image of the True Visage Mañjuśrī invented at Mount Wutai has specific iconographic features in his own representation. Uncovering the heretofore neglected iconographic specificities provides a more fine-grained understanding of how visual devices contributed to the cult of Mount Wutai, while also bringing renewed thinking about the notion of auspicious images and their replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the wall paintings of Dunhuang sanctuaries based on mathematical methods of defining features and system-structural analysis. This makes it possible to analyse the frescoes according to a certain common criterion and to identify common and different ones. The method of system-structural analysis made it possible to present the sanctuary as a certain integrity with components covered with decor and decorated with sculpture. The main thematic genres of frescoes by period were analysed and it was proved that, in general, the process of the genesis of plans, structural schemes and wall paintings from the early to middle and late periods had the same characteristics, that is, the features of archaism and simplicity characterized both the number and variety of plans and structural schemes, and the subjects of frescoes. The features of each genre at different periods are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of the genesis of the plans and ceilings of the Dunhuang cave sanctuaries. Based on the methods of graphic-and-analytical, defining features and system-structural analysis, the spread of types of plans and ceilings from dynasty to dynasty has been traced. With the help of a group of auxiliary methods of historical analysis, mathematical analysis and comparative analysis, a general picture of the development of the floating structure and constructive schemes of the Dunhuang sanctuaries from the Northern Liang period to the Yuan period was created. By counting the types of plans and ceilings in each period, a group of the most common types of plans was determined: with a combination of larger and smaller rectangles (where the smaller is the altar part of a square or rectangular shape), a plan in the form of a square with a protruding trapezoidal altar, an altar in outline close to a rectangle or trapezoids with rounded corners, a horizontally elongated plan rectangle, based on squares with protrusions. The most common type of ceilings is fu-dow-din with modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the genesis of planning solutions and ceiling designs of Dunhuang cave shrines. Based on the methods of defining features, graphic-and-analytical and system-and-structural analysis, the spread of types of plans and ceilings from dynasty to dynasty has been traced. Using auxiliary methods of historical, mathematical, and comparative analysis, a general picture of the development of the planning structure and constructive schemes of Dunhuang shrines from the Northern Lian period to the Yuan period has been created. By counting the types of plans and ceilings in each period, a group of the most common types of plans was determined: with a combination of larger and smaller rectangles (where the smaller is the altar part of a square or rectangular shape), a plan in the form of a square with a protruding trapezoidal altar, an altar in outline close to a rectangle or trapezoids with rounded corners, a horizontally elongated plan rectangle, based on squares with protrusions. The most common type of ceiling is fu-dou-ding with modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the genesis of planning solutions and ceiling designs of Dunhuang cave shrines. Based on the methods of defining features, graphic-and-analytical and system-andstructural analysis, the spread of types of plans and ceilings from dynasty to dynasty has been traced. Using auxiliary methods of historical, mathematical, and comparative analysis, a general picture of the development of the planning structure and constructive schemes of Dunhuang shrines from the Northern Lian period to the Yuan period has been created. By counting the types of plans and ceilings in each period, a group of the most common types of plans was determined: with a combination of larger and smaller rectangles (where the smaller is the altar part of a square or rectangular shape), a plan in the form of a square with a protruding trapezoidal altar, an altar in outline close to a rectangle or trapezoids with rounded corners, a horizontally elongated plan rectangle, based on squares with protrusions. The most common type of ceiling is fu-dou-ding with modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the textual history and genealogical claims in the Quanzhou Qianfo xinzhu zhuzushi song 泉州千佛新著諸祖師頌 (Or.8210/S.1635), a collection of encomia composed by Wendeng 文僜 (d. 972) that documents the formation of the so-called "southern" Chan lineage and provides a crucial link between the Baolin zhuan 寶林傳 and the Zutang ji 祖堂集. The focus of this paper is on reexamining the potentially layered nature of Wendeng's work based on the preface by Huiguan 慧觀 (d.u.), internal evidence from the Dunhuang manuscript, and related accounts in Chan records and local gazetteers. In addition, this study investigates the genealogical glosses in S.1635 and suggests that these were probably not authored by Wendeng and therefore cannot be taken as evidence of his understanding of the pedigree of the presumed successors to Huineng 慧能 (638–713). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pelliot tibétain 1257, a manuscript discovered in Dunhuang and now housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, contains a Bilingual Tibetan–Chinese glossary that compiles some of the most fundamental Buddhist terminology and vocabulary excerpted from the Saṃdhi-nirmocana-sūtra. The Tibetan terms within this glossary were initially completed by one person, while the Chinese terms were subsequently filled in by three individuals. This vocabulary list may have served as a workbook prepared by a Tibetan teacher for Chinese students learning Tibetan vocabulary. The workbook, with Chinese vocabulary filled in by Chinese students, remained in their possession and use thereafter. The learning of Tibetan by these Chinese individuals in Dunhuang was likely closely related to the Buddhist sutra-copying project initiated by the Tibetan king at that time.

Monastic life begins with the ordination of novice monks, who start their formal training at this stage. The education of a novice involves both general cultural studies and specialized Buddhist training. However, the focus during the novice stage is predominantly on Buddhist education, which encompasses learning monastic discipline and studying Buddhist scriptures. The Dunhuang manuscripts offer a wealth of information, providing valuable insights into the training and education of novice monks in Dunhuang during the periods of Tibetan Occupation (787–848) and Guiyi Army (851–1036).

The development of the cult of Mount Wutai was a milestone event in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Crucial in that development was a novel depiction of Mañjuśrī, believed to be transmitting the deity’s “true visage” (zhenrong). While consensus suggests that the primary new aspect of that depiction is the ethnicity of the attendant for Mañjuśrī’s animal vehicle, it is puzzling that the true visage of a saintly figure is defined externally, by his attendant, rather than internally, within his own stylistic or iconographic configuration. This paper critically re-evaluates arguments and evidence surrounding this issue and argues that the image of the True Visage Mañjuśrī invented at Mount Wutai has specific iconographic features in his own representation. Uncovering the heretofore neglected iconographic specificities provides a more fine-grained understanding of how visual devices contributed to the cult of Mount Wutai, while also bringing renewed thinking about the notion of auspicious images and their replication.

Dunhuang is not only one of the important agricultural regions in China, but also has formed a unique food custom through the integration of diverse cultures along the Silk Road, becoming a grain production base in the Western Regions. Ancient Dunhuang people explored the path of agricultural development in the long-term production practices, actively promoting agricultural production in the region, and transforming the agricultural production structure, leading to a shift in the mode of production. This paper aims to correctly understand the agricultural production characteristics and patterns of ancient Dunhuang and explore the impact of Dunhuang’s agricultural development on local culinary customs, providing an insight into the overall picture of ancient Dunhuang’s agricultural production and lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Dunhuang – the origins of foundation and the strategic importance of the city during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty): Dunhuang was arguably one of the most important cities on the so-called Silk Road. Its establishment was made possible due to Han emperor Wudi’s war against the nomadic tribes of the Xiongnu, who posed a major threat to the Chinese during the early years of the Han dynasty. The city was established as a strategic military settlement that was part of the regional tuntian system, and its role was to help secure the western borders of the empire. Due to the discovery of potential trading partners in the west during the reign of emperor Wudi, as well as the war which resulted in the vassalization of city states in the Takla Makan desert, Dunhuang became a trading hub from where caravans from the Chinese interior travelled west, which only increased its strategic value. This article will discuss what caused the evolution of Dunhaung from a frontier tuntian settlement into a major trading hub and strategically important city.

Translation is involved in cross-cultural exchange of heritage—transplanting the cultural heritage that belongs to one particular cultural-linguistic community into a new place and for a new audience. Using the concept of cultural translation as the theoretical framework, this study explores how translation is embedded yet largely hidden when Dunhuang artefacts are digitally positioned in a Hong Kong-based museum. It lays bare the connection between the cultures of Dunhuang and Hong Kong, and reveals how Hong Kong visitors perceive the exoticness of the Dunhuang culture on display. Translation is not only exemplified by the bilingual panels and captions throughout the exhibition, but is also enhanced in non-verbal aspects, especially those in relation to digital installations and visual design of the exhibition. This case study draws our attention to the phenomenon where psychological resemblance is lodged in constitutional difference in heritage exchanges in museums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important recent issue in research is the effective protection and rational utilization of cultural heritage. In particular, the regional protection and utilization network of heritage space is the overall requirement for promoting cultural protection and high-quality development of its industry. Using Dunhuang city, Gansu Province, China, as a case study, it is argued here that the cultural heritage space is a living unit that is composed of not only cultural heritage but also its overall environment. By identifying the key historical factors of Dunhuang's regional cultural heritage space, this paper explores the conservation factors and utilization factors. The suitability of the conservation factors and utilization factors is assessed through a two-way index of conservation and utilization. In addition, using a field strength model that considered various factors, the suitability characteristics of conservation and utilization were summarized. It was found that the conservation and utilization space of Dunhuang's cultural heritage had three network features: same level overlap, primary and secondary combination, and significant differentiation. At the same time, these formed an organization network of "patch collage and corridor concatenation" and the network of "mine field pattern and branch extension". From this, the sustainable development of the Dunhuang cultural space network can be realized through the combinations of site protection and ecological protection and environmental utilization and ecological restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geoparks in China have always overlapped with many other tourism branding schemes. It is unclear whether people are familiar with the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) label in a place in which many tourism brands and abundant resources exist. This article relies on data collected and interviews conducted in the Dunhuang UGGp to focus on tourists’ cognition, perception and satisfaction and to analyse their understanding of geotourism and participation in tourism activities. We suggest that the administration of Dunhuang UGGp change the schedule of tour routes, highlight geotourism, and foster the popularization of science and technology (PST) through activities within the geopark that support inquiry-based learning and facilitate geointerpretation and lively learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis of the fabricated worlds in tombs and cave temples of China's Hexi Corridor shows that animals are integral to concepts of earthly and heavenly realms. Changes in animal imagery from the third through sixth centuries connect to the region's social, cultural, and demographic transformations, including an embrace of pastoralism followed by increasing cosmopolitanism with the spread of Buddhism. A profusion of domestic animals in Wei-Jin tombs establish microcosms, while otherworldly creatures on entrances and coffins play supernatural roles. Western Jin tombs emphasize fantastic beasts over familiar ones and fuel the mysticism of this era. A Sixteen Kingdoms tomb represents the synthesis of the celestial and terrestrial, setting the stage for Buddhist cave temples. In these, real-world animals are all but expunged while imaginary beasts adapt easily to the new habitat. The proliferation of human figures in the form of buddhas and bodhisattvas not only crowd out animals but indicates that the introduction of Buddhism ushers in an anthropocentric view of earthly life and paradise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport is an integral part of the tourism industry. The tourist traveling patterns are highly dependent on the transport infrastructure in a tourism destinations. Based on the Social Network Theory, four centrality indicators and the transition possibility are adopted to explore the tourism flow network related to different modes of transportation and tourist transition capabilities in tourism destinations. A complex tourist itinerary visualization model uncovers the spatial structure of multi-layer tourist flows. Dunhuang, a rapidly growing tourist destination in Northwest China, reveals this patterning. Results show that: (1) The spatial structure and flow rate of the tourism flow network is significantly different when different transport modes are observed. (2) The tourists transition capability for different transport modes in the same region varies according to the geographic location and infrastructure level. (3) Tourists manifest different movement patterns among the available transport networks within a destination area. 交通是旅游系统中十分重要的一部分。旅游目的地交通基础设施的发展情况深刻影响着游客的出行模式。本文基于社会网络理论, 通过中心性分析方法和转移概率的计算, 以中国西北地区重要旅游目的地敦煌为案例地探究了不同交通方式下的旅游流网络, 并建立了一个多层交通下的旅游流网络可视化模型。本文拓展了交通与游客空间行为研究的方法, 并为旅游目的地规划与管理提供了科学依据。结果表明：（1）不同交通方式下的旅游流网络的流量和结构呈现出明显差异；（2）对于同一区域, 不同交通方式之间的转移概率会因为地理位置和交通基础设施水平的差异而不同；（3）游客出行行为模式在不同交通方式网络下表现出差异。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the religious function and meaning of long banner paintings from Cave 17 of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, in conjunction with material culture in Northwestern China in the ninth and tenth centuries CE. The so-called forty-nine-chi banners have peculiar traits such as extremely long lengths, an optional triangular headpiece, and a paired or single strip of textile on which a series of standing bodhisattvas are painted. The author focuses on the large number of textiles used for such banners and questions how the extraordinary length and material used contributed to fulfilling the donor's wishes. By examining both the banners' physical characteristics, such as the type of textiles, pigments, and configurations, and the theological background based on the Buddhist and Daoist scriptures about longevity, repentance, and healing, the author suggests that the long banners are a materialized form of longevity and prosperity by physically lengthening the banner with multiple bolts of silk. This paper further argues that depicting multiple bodhisattvas in a pictorial form on a long strip of textile was regarded equally as a powerful means for obtaining good health, prolonging life, eliminating sins, and thus being reborn in the Pure Land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we introduce our project on Dunhuang cultural heritage protection using artificial intelligence. The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in China, also known as the Grottoes of the Thousand Buddhas, is a religious and cultural heritage located on the Silk Road. The grottoes were built from the 4th century to the 14th century. After thousands of years, the in grottoes decaying is serious. In addition, numerous historical records were destroyed throughout the years, making it difficult for archaeologists to reconstruct history. We aim to use modern computer vision and machine learning technologies to solve such challenges. First, we propose to use deep networks to automatically perform the restoration. Through out experiments, we find the automated restoration can provide comparable quality as those manually restored from an archaeologist. This can significantly speed up the restoration given the enormous size of the historical paintings. Second, we propose to use detection and retrieval for further analyzing the tremendously large amount of objects because it is unreasonable to manually label and analyze them. Several state-of-the-art methods are rigorously tested and quantitatively compared in different criteria and categorically. In this work, we created a new dataset, namely, AI for Dunhuang, to facilitate the research. Version v1.0 of the dataset comprises of data and label for the restoration, style transfer, detection, and retrieval. Specifically, the dataset has 10,000 images for restoration, 3455 for style transfer, and 6147 for property retrieval. Lastly, we propose to use style transfer to link and analyze the styles over time, given that the grottoes were build over 1000 years by numerous artists. This enables the possibly to analyze and study the art styles over 1000 years and further enable future researches on cross-era style analysis. We benchmark representative methods and conduct a comparative study on the results for our solution. The dataset will be publicly available along with this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mount components and textile borders represent important elements of Asian paintings. However, they are often side-lined or not considered an integral part of the original piece, as they may be later additions or may have been replaced during historic conservation or mounting interventions. Nevertheless, evidence is sometimes present that textile borders are contemporaneous to the production of the paintings they frame or, in the case of paintings found in archaeological contexts, to the time of deposition. Even when not contemporaneous with the paintings, the mount textiles are often of significant historic interest in themselves, showing a range of complex textile techniques and materials, and highlighting the re-use of fabrics. In all these cases, the study and reconstruction of the original colours of the borders enable further understanding of the holistic visual impact originally intended for the composition, as well as of the role of colour itself, which was used to emphasise, complement or contrast important pictorial themes or motifs in the paintings. Furthermore, the identification of dyes and dyeing techniques has the potential to support the production date and provenance of the paintings. In this study, the textile borders and some additional mounting elements of six paintings (late 9th–10th century CE) from the Library Cave, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, China, one rare Korean portrait painting dated 1789 CE, and two Tibetan thangkas (18th century) were investigated with the aim to identify the dyes present. Fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) was used to obtain information non-invasively and, when sampling was possible, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to obtain molecular identification of the dyestuffs employed in their production. Typical Asian dyes, such as gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon), sappanwood (Biancaea sappan), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and pagoda tree flower buds (Sophora japonica), were identified. Some of the dyeing techniques were commensurate with the geographical and temporal provenance assigned to these pieces. Considerations about fading and discolouration of the dyes enabled valuable additional information to be obtained that complements the evidence gleaned from the study of the paintings and informs conservators and curators on best practices in the preservation and display of these precious and delicate artworks.

L’articolo, solidamente fondato su fonti e documenti inediti nel panorama occidentale, ricostruisce un episodio di raro interesse per la storia delle arti performative cinesi e mondiali, basato su un processo di traduzione tra medium e linguaggi diversi che portò alla realizzazione dello spettacolo di danza teatrale Pioggia di fiori sulla Via della Seta (1979), partendo dallo studio degli affreschi delle grotte di Dunhuang (IV-XIV secolo d.C) - contesto in cui emersero anche i primi pionieristici esperimenti di notazione scritta della danza - per poi tradurlo successivamente in dance film nel 1982, in TV show nel 2008 e in video digitale virale nel 2021: un passaggio dalla bidimensionalità delle posizioni statiche della pittura, alla quadridimensionalità dei corpi in movimento dei danzatori, fino ad arrivare all’applicazione del linguaggio cinematografico per trascrivere le coreografie su schermo, e alle potenzialità di diffusione digitale dei social, e della motion capture. Le raffigurazioni di creature mitologiche, di danzatori e musici, dipinte dal IV al XIV secolo d.C. sulle pareti delle grotte di Mogao quasi si trattasse di un archivio di pose coreutiche, furono utilizzate per ricostruire le coreografie di danze tradizionali antiche. Il concetto di archivio potrebbe essere altresì applicato alla fase della traduzione filmica, che ha consentito la permanenza e la trasmissione di quella coreografia, e del suo odierno corrispettivo digitale e social.

Among the Dunhuang documents, when examining some of the monk signature lists, name list of monks copying scriptures and name list of monks chanting scriptures in monasteries, we can estimate a relatively accurate literacy rate of the Buddhist sangha. Generally speaking, the literacy rate of the sangha during the Guiyi Army 歸義軍 period (851–1036) was lower than that during the Tibetan occupation period (786–851). The reason for this change is closely related to each regime's Buddhist policy, the size and living situation of the sangha, and the Buddhist atmosphere. The decrease in the literacy rate of the sangha had great negative consequences, but when viewed under the context of the stay at home monks and the secularization of Buddhism, the number of literate monks had actually increased. They were more closely integrated with the secular society and their functions in the regional society were more pronounced. At the same time, the changes in the literacy rate of the monks in Dunhuang can also serve as an important reference for understanding the development of Buddhism in the Central China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michelle Wang's Maṇḍalas in the Making is a groundbreaking treatment of mainly ninth- and tenth-century wall murals at Dunhuang making use of recent scholarship on early Esoteric Buddhist texts, teachers, and themes in Chinese and Tibetan sources. The review article assesses and extends the understanding and definitions of forms of mandala in India and China, recognizing the distinction between textual accounts of internal, visualized mandalas (bhāvyamaṇḍala), and the external, physical objects (lekhyamaṇḍala). Questions concerning the role(s) of the viewer and the purpose(s) of the Dunhuang shrines for the patrons and designers are also raised. For the patrons and designers, the shrines surely provided opportunities for acts of merit-making and expressions of gratitude for good fortune. For viewers and later visitors, were the shrines coded expressions of discursive Buddhist "meaning" and "repentance rituals," as Wang mainly argues, or (perhaps also) locales for gestalt experience of the presence of consecrated deities? The attribution of the visual style to a Nepalese-derived Tibetan mode is also examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite numerous research findings related to medieval Chinese Buddhism, the witchcraft role of bird totems in Buddhist history has not received sufficient attention. In order to fill this gap, this paper analyzes how Buddhist monks in medieval China developed a close relationship with bird-totem worship. This relationship has been documented in Buddhist scriptures, rituals, oral traditions, biographies, and mural art. Although bird-totem worship was practiced in many regions of medieval China, this paper specifically examines the visual culture of bird totems in Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism. Furthermore, some details of this culture were recorded in Buddhist texts and images. According to these works, various bird-totem patterns and symbols are believed to be effective ritual arts used by Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist monks to influence nature and the supernatural through ritual and magic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how history is rewritten in China by shaping the memories of its youth, who create new communities by sharing and renarrating new memories. They can become a powerful channel to convey an official interpretation of local histories to a larger public, by marginalizing and appropriating local narratives. The idea behind the program for voluntary narrators under analysis "Explaining Dunhuang – 2019 University students' summer programme to become voluntary narrator at Mogao grottoes". The original name of the program in Chinese is Jieshuo Dunhuang – 2019 Mogao ku gaoxiao shuqi zhiyuan jiangjieyuan 解说敦煌·2019莫高窟高校暑期志愿讲解员. is to shape memories of China's young and wealthy students about a place, by transforming its rich cross-cultural fundamentals, symbolic and inner meanings, into a representation of the Nation, able to convey powerful declinations of official narratives on the history of China. The analysis is conducted in consideration of the larger context of the construction and transmission of the official discourse on national identity in contemporary PRC. Specifically, the author provides evidence of how young Chinese internalize and disseminate the party line on Chineseness, and the subordinate role assigned within this process to "minorities." Minorities are seen both as a threat and an opportunity: a threat to the Party and social cohesion as carriers of diverse identities, an opportunity for contrasting Chineseness with the Other, a backward entity, inadequate and unable to embrace—if not help—the path to modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced hyperspectral imager (AHSI) is the second hyperspectral imager of China, which is also one of the most important payloads onboard the ZY1E satellite. In order to monitor the radiometric calibration status since its launch on September 12, 2019 and thus provide supplementary onboard radiometric calibration, this article conducts several vicarious radiometric calibration experiments for the ZY-1E AHSI. Five satellite observations over the Dunhuang radiometric calibration site, one of the most relevant China Radiometric Calibration Sites (CRCS), were used. Surface reflectance, radiosonde data, aerosol optical depth (AOD) loading, and water vapor content were used to simulate the top of atmosphere (TOA) radiance at the entrance pupil of the satellite via MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission (MODTRAN). Our results show that the vicarious radiometric calibration coefficients are relatively constant with the official coefficients: the mean relative differences are 5.55%, 5.64%, 7.02%, 5.07%, and 5.30% on January 11, January 17, February 12, May 7, and November 23, 2021, respectively. The vicarious radiometric calibration coefficients were found in good agreement with the official ones according to the validation analysis based on different surface types, i.e., water and vegetation. Uncertainties of vicarious radiometric calibration due to AOD assumptions, AOD measurements, water vapor measurements, radiosonde data measurements, relative spectral response (RSR) shifts, and surface reflectance measurements are also discussed in detail. The obtained results show that the ZY-1E AHSI exhibits good on-orbit radiometric status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Library's Stein collection contains about 14,000 scrolls, fragments and booklets in Chinese from a cave in the Buddhist Mogao Caves complex near Dunhuang in north-west China. This article describes storage and access solutions for the collection in the context of a busy research library and the currently ongoing Lotus Sutra Manuscripts Digitisation project. The article presents the various technical and organisational challenges that its rehousing presents to the library conservators. Restricted by the existing storage facilities, budget limitations and tight project deadlines, the conservators must provide housing that is adequate for the scroll format, is practical and prevents dissociation, but is also cost- and time-effective. With the best storage practice in mind, they have developed original solutions, balancing the specific housing requirements and constraints. These storage solutions allow the conservators to ensure the long-term safety and accessibility of the collection while laying down a foundation of standardisation that will ensure a homogeneity of approaches for future projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between archeological culture and ethnicity is invariably complex. This is especially the case for periods of national division and rapid inter-ethnic exchange, such as China’s Sixteen Kingdoms (304–439 CE) and Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–589 CE). Going by tomb shape and grave goods, the Foyemiaowan cemetery at Dunhuang exhibits a typical third–tenth century Han style. Despite this, the ethnic makeup of the Foyemiaowan population has remained unclear. We therefore analyzed 485 Y-chromosomal SNPs and entire mitochondrial genomes of 34 Foyemiaowan samples. Our study yielded the following discoveries: (1) principal component analysis revealed that the Foyemiaowan population was closely clustered with Tibeto-Burman populations on the paternal side and close to Mongolic-speaking populations on the maternal side; (2) lineage comparisons at the individual level showed that the Foyemiaowan population consisted of primarily Tibeto-Burman and Han Chinese related lineages (Oα-M117, 25%;Oβ-F46, 18.75%), partially Altaic speaking North Eurasian lineages (N-F1206, 18.75%) and a slight admixture of southern East Asian lineages (O1b1a2-Page59, 6.25%; O1b1a1-PK4, 3.13%). Similarly, the maternal gene pool of Foyemiaowan contained northern East Asian (A, 4.17%; CZ, 16.67%; D, 20.83%; G, 4.17%; M9, 4.17%), southern East Asian (B, 12.51%; F, 20.83%) and western Eurasian (H, 4.17%; J, 4.17%) related lineages; (3) we discovered a relatively high genetic diversity among the Foyemiaowan population (0.891) in our ancient reference populations, indicating a complex history of population admixture. Archeological findings, stable isotope analysis and historical documents further corroborated our results. Although in this period China’s central government had relinquished control of the Hexi Corridor and regional non-Han regimes became the dominant regional power, Foyemiaowan’s inhabitants remained strongly influenced by Han culture.

Star dune is one typical kind of aeolian geomorphology in global sand seas. It has attracted scholars in various research fields for years because of its unique morphologic features like Egyptian pyramid. The landform pattern of star dune is mainly dominated by factors such as regional wind regime, sand availability, and local topography. Star dunes grow vertically as they accumulate sand brought in from different directions; however, little is known regarding morphologic changes during this process. The stability of star dunes based on quantitative data is another unsolved question due to the limitation in measuring equipment or other factors. And whether the star dune can grow into star sand hills is another scientific problem which needs to be discussed. In this paper, the heightening development process and morphological changes of star dunes were monitored in Mingsha Mountain of Dunhuang with the 3D laser scanner. Results show that the star dunes in Mingsha Mountain were formed by a group of relatively steady winds, which were northwest, northeast and south winds. With the increase of the height of the star dunes, the morphological parameters of the dune, such as the volume and bottom area, did not show regular changes. The surface erosion of both Dune 1 and Dune 2 during the observation period was closely related to the regional wind conditions. During the growth of the star dunes, the overall trend of the dunes was relatively steady and the dune shape maintained its stability although the aspect and slope of the sand dunes changed, indicating that the stability of star dune was not complete and was dynamic. Moreover, the variation range of the dune slope was proportional to the volume change of the dune. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourists' attitudes, especially when searching with a cultural tendency, can influence the tourism experience in cultural heritage tourism. Based on the cultural contact theory and tourist involvement theory, we try to reveal the tie or the relationship between local culture and tourism. Here, we define cultural tendency as the extent to which tourists positively intend to learn about the culture of the destination. Then, we examined the roles of cultural tendency, involvement, tourist experience, and satisfaction in heritage tourism and proposed a tendency–involvement–experience (TIE) model. Using a questionnaire with tourists in Mogao Caves, a world heritage site, we found that cultural tendency through involvement enhanced tourism experience and satisfaction. Moreover, the tendency of different cultures had various effects on tourists' experiences. Prior knowledge did not play a moderating role on the relationship among cultural tendency and involvement. The findings underscore the importance of cultural tendency in creating experiences, and heritage tourism must address tourists' preferences for a better experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political history of medieval China is written primarily on the basis of official records produced at centers of political power by victors in the preceding trans-dynastic war. With the help of alternative sources, one can hope to challenge the triumphalist and teleological narrative imbedded in these records. In this article, I use documents preserved in the Dunhuang "library cave" to uncover a failed attempt to establish a regional state with imperial pretensions in Dunhuang immediately after the fall of the Tang. This kind of political regionalism seen in Dunhuang is also found in several other post-Tang states in Sichuan and Guangdong. My investigation of their similarities exposes the teleological nature of the conventional framework of "Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms," and demands that we rethink the political history of China after the fall of the Tang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mount components and textile borders represent important elements of Asian paintings. However, they are often side-lined or not considered an integral part of the original piece, as they may be later additions or may have been replaced during historic conservation or mounting interventions. Nevertheless, evidence is sometimes present that textile borders are contemporaneous to the production of the paintings they frame or, in the case of paintings found in archaeological contexts, to the time of deposition. Even when not contemporaneous with the paintings, the mount textiles are often of significant historic interest in themselves, showing a range of complex textile techniques and materials, and highlighting the re-use of fabrics. In all these cases, the study and reconstruction of the original colours of the borders enable further understanding of the holistic visual impact originally intended for the composition, as well as of the role of colour itself, which was used to emphasise, complement or contrast important pictorial themes or motifs in the paintings. Furthermore, the identification of dyes and dyeing techniques has the potential to support the production date and provenance of the paintings. In this study, the textile borders and some additional mounting elements of six paintings (late 9th–10th century CE) from the Library Cave, Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, China, one rare Korean portrait painting dated 1789 CE, and two Tibetan thangkas (18th century) were investigated with the aim to identify the dyes present. Fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) was used to obtain information non-invasively and, when sampling was possible, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was used to obtain molecular identification of the dyestuffs employed in their production. Typical Asian dyes, such as gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizon), sappanwood (Biancaea sappan), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and pagoda tree flower buds (Sophora japonica), were identified. Some of the dyeing techniques were commensurate with the geographical and temporal provenance assigned to these pieces. Considerations about fading and discolouration of the dyes enabled valuable additional information to be obtained that complements the evidence gleaned from the study of the paintings and informs conservators and curators on best practices in the preservation and display of these precious and delicate artworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]