Better conservation

Promoting the Dunhuang legacy involves "upgrading and improving" the academy's conservation and research work, Zhao says.

Building on the international collaborations, technological advances and conservation achievements of the past decades, the academy has successfully preserved Mogao's artifacts, but the efforts must now be upgraded, from the repair and restoration of the relics, to the prevention of any damage to them, he says.

The academy now includes a monitoring center, which receives data constantly transmitted from every cave. If there are any changes in the air in the caves, such as higher humidity levels, employees will be alerted.

"We have to think about measures to prevent any potential problems from occurring," Zhao says. "This preventive approach has been taken to a new level. Domestically, we are probably at the forefront of these efforts."

"Of course, it's not perfect yet. There are still many areas that need to be worked on. For instance, there are the seismic type of conditions, which even include the impact of ground movements from tourists," he says.

As part of the academy's latest conservation measures, public access to more than 100 Mogao caves is rotated, with limits set on daily visitor numbers to lessen the human and environmental impact on the sites.

Research on the relics has also made remarkable strides, with the academy's scholars sharing their expertise with other heritage sites in developing countries and expanding their academic exchanges in recent years.

The director himself is a specialist in art history. Born in Zhaotong city, Yunnan province, Zhao headed straight to Dunhuang in 1984 after graduating from Beijing Normal University, against the advice of his father who worried about the harsh conditions at the site.

Zhao persevered, fueled by his constant fascination for the relics in front of him and the sense of their importance beyond the caves containing them. He subsequently took the opportunity to study in Japan and earned his doctorate.