This fund supports The Dunhuang Academy, caretaker and steward of Mogaoku, the Silk Road heritage site where hundreds of grottoes contain murals and statues that comprise China’s greatest collection of Buddhist art. The Academy manages a comprehensive array of conservation, research, archaeological and fine arts initiatives, as well as visitor, publication and exhibition programs.
Read the July 6, 2008 article in The New York Times about Dunhuang Academy’s work restoring the caves of Mogaoku.
Dunhuang’s grottoes have astounded visitors for nearly 17 centuries and, remarkably preserved in the desert environment, remain an inspiration to all who journey there. Buddhist culture, brought to China by monks and pilgrims, was enshrined at Dunhuang by merchants, officials and aristocrats who commissioned decorated caves in a nearby cliff, known as Mogaoku or “peerless caves”. The Dunhuang Academy, keeper of this World Heritage Site, has launched an ambitious program to preserve and display the sumptuous wall paintings and sculptures — a treasure house of art at the crossroads of east and west — for future generations.
Dunhuang’s epic history of cultural survival in the face of invasion and brigandry has been replayed for generations. Today, natural forces and a fresh wave of visitors threaten to overwhelm Mogaoku’s fragile paintings and sculptures. Shifting sands, water seepage, and environmental stresses caused by surging tourism are degrading the murals and statuary at an alarming rate. The tension between access and preservation is growing ever more acute, and a standard tour is now restricted to brief visits to a few unlit caves. If interventions are not undertaken promptly, this irreplaceable legacy will be lost forever.
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