Inheritors dedicated to Dunhuang color sculpture

You Luping, an inheritor of Dunhuang color sculpture, crafts a clay figurine. (People's Daily Online/Li Gen)

You Luping is an inheritor of Dunhuang color sculpture, an intangible cultural heritage. Now in his twenties, he has been involved in the restoration and replication of color sculptures in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city and Yulin Grottoes in Jiuquan city, northwest China's Gansu Province.

Driven by his passion for traditional Chinese culture, You immersed himself in the study of sculpture. After visiting the Mogao Grottoes and experiencing the allure of Dunhuang color sculpture, he became an apprentice of Du Yongwei, a renowned inheritor of this craft, and began learning the techniques.

Du embarked on his artistic journey at the age of 17, enrolling as a student at the Institute of Fine Arts, the Dunhuang Academy. Du has dedicated over four decades to Dunhuang color sculpture, demonstrating an unwavering passion for his work.

Du Yongwei has an interview with People's Daily Online. (People's Daily Online/Wang Jinxue)

Six years ago, Du established a training center in a village located just over 10 kilometers from the Mogao Grottoes. He turned the village into a place that offers a variety of activities, such as lectures on Dunhuang culture, study of mural and calligraphy, art design classes, teaching of color sculpture and mural production, and instruction in seal engraving art.

“These display cabinets are about 80 centimeters high, and there have been complaints from adult visitors about the difficulty of bending down to view them. They have expressed a desire for the cabinets to be raised, but I have consistently declined their requests," said Du.

"Every year, many schoolchildren come to visit for educational purposes, and this height allows them to have a more immersive experience," said Du.

The design of the display cabinets is specifically tailored to accommodate children, which means adults must bend down to view the exhibits. (People's Daily Online/Li Gen)

Du and his apprentices have also ventured into live-streaming.

"I create a video for each artwork I produce. Some viewers asked about the possibility of learning Dunhuang color sculpture, the duration of the learning process, and the level of difficulty involved. Many people have come to experience and learn about Dunhuang color sculpture after watching these videos," said You.

"I've even managed to attract an international apprentice through these videos," Du said. A Thai graduate student stumbled upon Du's videos on creating color sculptures and reached out to him. Currently, the student is learning the Chinese language and plans to come to Dunhuang to become Du's apprentice later this year.

Once completed, this sculpture, which is dedicated to the talented craftsmen of ancient times, will be displayed at the village entrance to welcome visitors from all corners. (People's Daily Online/Li Gen)