Architecture Commons^™

Staging Dunhuang Mogao Caves: Treasures From Along The Silk Road, Lanlan Kuang

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Historically a frontier metropolis, Dunhuang was a strategic site along the Silk Road in northwestern China, a crossroads of trade, and a locus for religious, cultural, and intellectual influences since the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.). The 492 caves at the Mogao cliff near the modern town of Dunhuang have served as temples, sites for performative events, and an archive that consisted of medieval Chinese paintings and Buddhist sutras. Today, the Dunhuang Mogao Caves is among one of the most well-known UNESCO heritage sites along the ancient Silk Road. With technological advancements, the staging processes of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves …