Dunhuang Western Regions Ancient Tibetan Social-Historical Documents

Author: (English) F.W. Thomas
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: In 1900, the Dunhuang Cave Library was opened, revealing tens of thousands of precious Dunhuang documents and artworks to the world. Due to the corruption of the Qing Dynasty and the inadequate protection by local governments, most of them were stolen by successive Western archaeologists, scattered across the world, attracting widespread attention from scholars globally, thus forming a new international field of study—Dunhuang Studies. The Dunhuang documents are rich in content, and the Dunhuang cave art is vibrant and colorful. After a century of research by scholars both within and outside China, significant achievements have been made in various fields of Dunhuang Studies. However, despite the efforts of many scholars in popularizing Dunhuang Studies, it remains as obscure as covering the snow with a thin blanket, seemingly confined to the circle of Dunhuang scholars. For most enthusiasts of Dunhuang culture, Dunhuang Studies remains a mysterious and beautiful enigma. Dunhuang is a dazzling gem on the ancient Silk Road, where the Han, Uyghur, Tuyuhun, and Tibetan peoples collectively created Dunhuang culture. Therefore, the art of Mogao Caves, which serves as a symbol of Dunhuang Studies, is a crystallization of their collective wisdom and a product of religious and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. The development of Dunhuang Studies requires both in-depth, high-quality academic research and popularization and promotion, so that more people can understand Dunhuang and appreciate its splendid and brilliant cultural heritage. The 21st century will be a period of deep development in the study of Dunhuang culture, as well as a time for its widespread popularization.