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A Complete System for Dunhuangology Study Shaped in China
Chinese scholars have made world-renowned achievements in the study of the Dunhuangology, says the news from the Dunhuang Art Exhibition entitled "Unveiled Originals, Centennial Dunhuang", which is currently being held at the National Library in Beijing.
In history, the original manuscripts and sutras in Dunhuang suffered a lot from the plundering by British, French, Russian and Japanese in the early 20th century, and what has been left in China after ransacking was a mere 1/3 of the total. Under the then circumstances, when the study of Dunhuangology was in a poor situation, some scholars, pouring out their grievances, pointed out that: Dunhuang was a piece of heart-aching history in China.
Chai Jianhong, Secretary-general of the Chinese Dunhuang Turpan Institute said at the exhibition, despite the fact that a great deal of Dunhuang originals were lost oversea, yet in the study of Dunhuangology, the Chinese scholars are sure to do a good job by making use of the remaining originals.
As reported, Chinese scholars have so far established a complete theoretical system in the fields of Dunhuang literature, grotto-archeology, grotto-arts and history and geography of Dunhuang. In the present-day world they are playing a leading role in the study of the Dunhuang grotto-archeology, literature, history of the returning army, and geography as well as sociology of the Dunhuang area.
Chai added, the monographs on Dunhuang Studies published annually by Chinese scholars come to more than 200 kinds with theses even numbering over thousands. Moreover, more and more scholars esp. some youngsters joined in the Dunhuang Studies and have achieved a lot.
The embarrassing history of "Dunhuang was in China, yet its studies blossomed abroad" has gone forever. Scholars at home and abroad present at the seminar now shared a common view as to the Dunhuang Studies in China: "Dunhuang is in China, yet Dunhuangology spreads worldwide, while the core of it has returned to China."
The Dunhuang Studies began in 1910 in China and came to a stagnation later in the 1930s to 40s because of aggression from without and internal wars. In 1950s or 60s, the Dunhuang research and study could only be carried out on the basis of the microfilms bought from America, Britain, France and Japan etc.. In early 1980s, one million yuan was allocated by the Chinese central government for the setting-up of the Dunhuang Turpan Institute of China, marking the beginning of regular and formal studies of Dunhuangology in China.
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