Guardians of National Treasures

Fifty-year-old Su Bominhas worked with theDunhuang Academyfor more than threedecades. Before becomingdirector of the academy， heserved as head of its CulturalRelics Protection ResearchInstitute. On the occasion ofthe 80th founding anniversaryof the Dunhuang Academy， Susat down with China Pictorial（CP） for an interview. He arguedthat protecting Dunhuang isprotecting the cultural heritageof China and even the world andthat the Dunhuang Academywill maintain its commitmentto “building a model for worldcultural heritage protectionand a pedestal for Dunhuangstudies.”

CP： What effective methodshas the Dunhuang Academyexplored to protect and revivecultural relics over the 80 yearssince its establishment？

Su： Cultural heritageprotection is a core function ofthe Dunhuang Academy. Ouracademy’s efforts to protect theancient Dunhuang grottoes canbe divided into three stages：rescue-oriented protection，science-based protection， andpreventive protection. Afterdecades of endeavors， theinternal environment of thegrottoes has greatly improved，with various risks under control，and some endangered grottoeshave been restored.

During the protectionprocess， we develop manyadvanced ideas and approaches.For example， in terms ofenvironmental governance， wehave effectively addressed thenegative impact of sandstormson the Mogao Grottoes; interms of mural protection，we have developed targetedpreservation and restorationtechniques. More importantly，we have built an experiencedconservation team that notonly performs basic scientificresearch but also carries outcomprehensive protectionthrough specific cultural relicsconservation and restorationprojects. Moreover， they haveparticipated in the drafting ofmany industry specificationsand standards for the protectionof cultural relics in China，guiding and leading the healthydevelopment of the industry.

CP： How is the DunhuangAcademy building a modelfor world cultural heritageprotection？

Su： The criteria for what we"understand to be a “model”institution should include：first， the care it delivers tothe cultural relics under itsprotection must be firstclass;second， it must possessworld-class capabilities andexperience in cultural heritageconservation. Nowadays， ourteam gets invited to cure various“intractable diseases” affectingancient grottoes around China.As we engage in more andmore conservation projects，we continue to discovernew problems and carry outtargeted research. This enablesour academy to continuouslyimprove our cultural relicsprotection skills and scientificresearch expertise.

To become a model forcultural heritage protectionin the world， the DunhuangAcademy needs to delve deeperinto scientific laws of culturalrelics conservation， innovateprotection methods andapproaches， spread managementexperience and protectiontechniques that are universallyapplicable， and provide valuableservices for cultural relicsprotection in China and eventhe world.

CP： The Dunhuang Academyhas made notable achievementsin digital development. Whatstages has your digitalizationprocess included so far， andwhat result have been achievedin this regard？

Su： After more than 30years of tireless efforts，the Dunhuang Academyhas accumulated massivemulti-source and multi-formdata resources. Applicationof “Digital Dunhuang” hasprovided an effective way topermanently preserve artisticinformation on the Dunhuanggrottoes， which， to some extent，overcomes difficulties in muralcopying and has become animportant tool to do this job.

The continuous improvementof “Digital Dunhuang” intechnology and content willhelp our academy make fulluse of its rich resources andadvanced technologies toachieve several goals： We willempower tourists to enjoycultural relics and murals inthe grottoes virtually to reducepressures on opened grottoesand effectively protect culturalrelics inside while meetingvisitors’ demand， and we willbring ancient grotto art backto life by deeply exploringits cultural connotations andorganizing various forms ofdigital exhibitions around theworld.

CP： Dunhuang studies haveevolved into an internationallyrecognized school of academicresearch. What specificmeasures has the DunhuangAcademy taken to advanceDunhuang studies？

Su： Dunhuang studiescontain two core areas： researchof the Dunhuang grottoesand research of scripturesdiscovered in the Library Cave.In recent years， the DunhuangAcademy has optimized itsrole as a research platform andhub for Dunhuang studies. Werecently opened the DunhuangStudies Research LiteratureLibrary， which functions as aplatform to publish the latestresearch and meet experts’demand for relevant data andinformation， injecting newimpetus into the developmentof Dunhuang studies. We arealready working hard to build a“pedestal” and “model” in thisregard.

Moreover， the DunhuangAcademy has played an activepart in implementation of theBelt and Road Initiative （BRI）by conducting exchange andcooperation with universities，museums， and other sectorsin BRI partner countries. Wehave worked with experts frompartner countries to carry outin-depth research on topics suchas relations between Dunhuangand the Silk Road， the evolutionand changes of the Silk Road，and the ethnicities， religions，societies， and cultures of BRIpartner countries.

CP： Generations of culturalheritage conservators andresearchers from the DunhuangAcademy have forged theMogao spirit of “staying inthe desert， making dedication，taking responsibility，pioneering， and forging ahead”through tenacious efforts toprotect cultural treasures ofthe nation. How should weunderstand and carry forwardthis spirit？

Su： The Mogao spirit hasgiven us the inspiration to makesuch remarkable achievementsin the conservation of theDunhuang grottoes and realizeabundant research results. Foreveryone at the DunhuangAcademy， Dunhuang culture hasan irreplaceable position whichmust be preserved carefully.This is part of the foundation ofthe Mogao spirit.

Since its establishment， theDunhuang Academy has aspiredto lift Dunhuang studies toa higher level and presentDunhuang culture to theworld. This is why the Mogaospirit has been passed on fromgeneration to generation. I wasdelighted to discover that theyounger generation is workingto inherit and carry forwardthis spirit， which will heavilyinfluence future protectionand research of the Dunhuanggrottoes and the inheritanceand renewal of traditionalculture.