Ancient Chinese mural paintings dating back to Dunhuang displayed in Shanghai

According to history records, a monk called Le Qiyun traveled to the Chinese trading city, Dunhuang, in 366 AD, where he witnessed the golden light of Buddha. The curiosity of Le Hee prompted him to create the first Mogao cave in the Daquan Valley. This was the beginning of the Dunhuang artifacts that would help Western cultures to flourish in later years. Fast forward to now, and there are hundreds upon thousands of caves that contain artifacts and great wall paintings created from different time periods.

Starting from May, the Dunang Ancient Art Exhibition will be on display in the Shanghai Baolong Museum of Art. The exhibition is hosted by the Dunhuang Research Institute, containing around 200 carefully selected exhibits concentrated on more than 1,650 years of Dunhuang culture and art. In addition, the exhibition achieves in recreating the Mogao caves by using a newly emerged multimedia projection technology that allows the audience to see the exact same cave paintings in Dunhuang. In total, the exhibition restores 320 caves that were created during the Tang Dynasty.

The figures in the cave paintings are depicted vividly in shape, rich colors and strong but curved lines, which holistically reflects the brilliant and magnificent features of painting styles that emerged in the Tang Dynasty.However, the highlight of the Dunhuang artifacts lies not only in its exquisite artistic form, but also in its faithful depiction of the social situation in the past thousands of years in western China.
For example, by walking through the gallery, visitors can see the Han Dynasty grotto murals, which mainly depict human figures in Han clothes. They can take a look at women in Tang Dynasty wearing narrow and thin clothes, and partake in feasts where people celebrate joyfully. These fascinating works depict the lifestyle of ancient people, from their common daily routines such as eating, drinking, washing their faces and brushing their teeth to their emotional feelings. These are the key elements of lifestyles for ancient Chinese people.

The murals and sculptures of Mogao Grottos preserved not only the unique artistic style and transformation in Dunhuang, but also vividly recreates the lives of the ancient Chinese.

Featured Image –A Dunhuang mural painting Photo Courtesy of Pengpai News Website

by Jaclyn Li