Exhibition on architectural heritage of Mogao Grottoes launched

The Dunhuang Academy in Dunhuang city, northwest China's Gansu Province launched a new exhibition on the rich architectural heritage of the Mogao Grottoes located there on July 1, as a way to spread and showcase the cultural richness of the famous cultural heritage site.

File photo shows a model of ancient buildings, which was made according to the architectural image displayed in a mural located inside the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Chinanews.com/Fu Hualin)

At the exhibition, visitors can enjoy a total of 419 sets of exhibits, including 3D restoration models, 3D printed architectural models, and digital duplicates of murals and cultural relics at high resolutions, a collection that has been planned for seven years. The models on display, such as pavilions and terraces, were made according to the architectural images displayed in the murals.

Receiving a maximum capacity of 20 visitors per day, the exhibition will allow the public to appreciate the pure and unadorned beauty of China’s ancient architecture, and catch a glimpse of the concepts of humanity that lie behind it, according to the Dunhuang Academy.

The Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site, is not only known for murals and colored sculptures, but is also home to a large number of ancient architectural remnants from the past. In the early 1940s, the Dunhuang Academy began to conduct research on the site’s architectural heritage.

File photo shows a model of an ancient building, which was made according to the architectural image displayed in a mural located inside the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Chinanews.com/Fu Hualin)