Conservation of cave art captured in captivating new book

A new book showcasing 112 restored mural artworks of Dunhuang, Gansu province, has become not only a captivating introduction to the city's Mogao Caves and the Yulin Caves in neighboring Guazhou county but also a faithful recollection of two generations of the Shi family's efforts in preserving and promoting the art.

The First Sight of Dunhuang published by the CITIC Press Group features facsimiles of Shi Dunyu, a 72-year-old expert on Dunhuang murals, and her late parents Shi Weixiang and Ouyang Lin, who joined the Mogao Caves conservation shortly after the founding of the Dunhuang Academy in 1944.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mogao Caves are home to 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,400 painted sculptures housed in 735 caves built from the 4th to 14th centuries. The murals of the Mogao Caves, the nearby Yulin Caves and Western Thousand-Buddha Caves, all with 1,000 years of history, exceed 50,000 square meters.

According to Shi Dunyu, the family has not only replicated the murals in the facsimiles to how they look now but also restored missing parts and original colors based on meticulous research and verification.

Each of the restored artworks collected in the book is accompanied by interpretations of the mural's stories, artistic significance and key points of restoration, allowing readers to have a better understanding of the magnificent and profound beauty of Dunhuang arts.

The book also includes facsimiles of 19 Buddhist paintings from the Library Cave, or Cave 17 of the Mogao Caves, that are housed overseas.

Fan Jinshi, honorary director of the Dunhuang Academy, says that Shi Weixiang led her into the artistic world of Dunhuang. The couple dedicated their lives and passion to studying Dunhuang arts, making an indelible contribution to this field.

Chang Shana, a respected scholar of Dunhuang arts and daughter of Chang Shuhong, founding director of the academy, says that Shi Dunyu's restored facsimiles have presented the characteristics of oil painting with the pavilions, courtyards, and figures and their clothing, which are inherited from the works of her father who had a background in oil painting.

Yet, in tackling the patterns of zaojing (caisson ceilings), the lines of figures and color use techniques, Shi Dunyu learned largely from her mother.

The family's dedication to studying Dunhuang arts, as well as their relentless restoration and creation of mural facsimiles, aims to pass on and promote the arts for future generations, according to Chang Shana.