Dunhuang caves art exhibition kicks off in Taiwan island, strengthening the cross-Straits cultural exchanges

Poster of the Dunhuang Caves Art Exhibition Photo: Courtesy of Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

The Dunhuang Caves Art Exhibition “Silk Road Splendor” opened to the public at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung on Saturday, making it the largest and most spectacular Dunhuang art show held in the island of Taiwan.

Over 140 artifects, including a replica of the Dunhuang caves, murals and manuscripts have been on display at the exhibition which is jointly hosted by the museum and Dunhuang Academy. The exhibition, themed “Silk Road Splendor,” will last until April 2024.

Lectures on the protection and restoration of the Dunhuang Caves, performances and Dunhuang mural painting workshops will also be held during the show.

Li Qun, head of China Cultural Heritage Promotion Association, said at the opening ceremony that this exhibition is designed to allow the visitors to savor the charm of the Silk Road and appreciate the long-lasting vitality of Chinese culture that is open and inclusive.

“Chinese civilization is the wealth and spiritual homeland shared by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. We will continue to strengthen the cross-Straits cultural exchanges and cooperation with the Taiwan counterparts, and jointly protect, inherit and promote the Chinese civilization,” Li said.

Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy, said the exhibition aims to build an avenue for Taiwan people to gain in-person experiences of Dunhuang art and the history of the Silk Road.

Xin Ru, a representative of Fo Guang Shan Foundation for Buddhist Culture and Education, said the Dunhuang Grottoes are of important historical value to the integration of Chinese culture and Buddhist art. “We hope this exhibition will help deepen the cross-strait cultural exchanges and cooperation,” he said.

Since the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), Dunhuang in Northwest China’s Gansu Province has been an important hub for exchanges between the East and the West on the Silk Road. The major stop on the Silk Road saw multiple civilizations blend and merge, giving birth to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, a major repository of ancient China’s Buddhist art and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In this exhibition, the reclining Buddha statue in Mogao Cave 158 will be on display at the Buddha Museum. In spite of numerous challenges, the Dunhuang Academy has managed to transport a physical replica of a pillar cave from the Dunhuang Caves to Taiwan. Moreover, a beautiful offering painting, the most intact and exquisite of its kind from the Mogao Caves known as the “Homage to the Buddha,” will be displayed.

Among the remarkable artifacts is the Dunhuang Cave Manuscript, featuring the Lotus Sutra. This manuscript, written on indigo paper with silver columns and gold characters, remains a technique still used today. It is one of the few examples of precious manuscripts from the Dunhuang Library Cave.

Visitors can admire the fine artistry of the reproductions of the cave murals, featuring Jataka tales, figures, sutra illustrations and patrons. With the use of digital technology, viewers can have an immersive experience in virtually exploring the caves.