Dunhuang Academy

Dunhuang Academy

Dunhuang Academy

Its predecessor was the national Dunhuang Art Research Institute, which was established in 1944. It was reorganized into the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute in 1950 and expanded into the Dunhuang Research Institute in 1984. Dunhuang Academy is a scientific research institution of Dunhuang studies.

It is also a cultural and Museum unit for the protection of Dunhuang Grottoes (Mogao Grottoes, Yulin grottoes, xiqianfo cave), Maijishan grottoes, Bingling Temple grottoes, Qingyang North Grottoes temple and other cultural institutions; it is a base for patriotism education and a tourist reception unit.

Chang Shuhong promoted the establishment of the national Dunhuang Art Research Institute. He regarded the Mogao Grottoes as "home" and was known as "the patron saint of Dunhuang". These five words were engraved on the tombstone of Chang Shuhong

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In May 2017, on the occasion of celebrating the "International Museum Day", the awarding ceremony of national first-class museums was recently held in Beijing. Dunhuang Research Institute was successfully promoted to become one of the third batch of 34 new national first-class museums added by the State Administration of cultural relics.

On August 31, 2019, the large-scale documentary dialogue between Mogao Grottoes and Angkor Wat, jointly produced by Dunhuang Research Institute and other units and hosted by Zhao Shengliang, premiered at Dunhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center. The premiere of the documentary is one of the important activities of the closing ceremony of the 4th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo and the 9th Dunhuang Silk Road International Travel Festival.

Development history

In February 1944, the national Dunhuang Art Research Institute, a storage and research institution, was set up in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. It has only more than ten employees. Chang Shuhong is the director of the Institute, and has two groups of Archaeology and general affairs. It has started the work of cleaning up, investigating, protecting and copying Dunhuang Grottoes.

In 1950, it was renamed the Dunhuang Institute of cultural relics. Chang Shuhong took over as the director of the Institute. His staff has made great progress, including protection, fine arts, archaeology, information, office and so on. He has carried out large-scale maintenance and protection of the grottoes, carried out a comprehensive investigation of the grotto materials, studied the contents of grotto art, archaeology and Buddhism, and published some research results.

In 1984, on the basis of the Dunhuang Institute of cultural relics, it was expanded into the Dunhuang Institute. The Party committee, the Council and the academic committee of Dunhuang Academy are respectively in charge of the party affairs, the Academy affairs and the scientific research work. The Party committee of the hospital has a party committee office, and the Department has an administrative office, a personnel department and a security department. The academic committee also runs the scientific research office. The professional departments include the Institute of grottoes protection, the Institute of fine arts, the Institute of archaeology, the Institute of literature, the exhibition center of grottoes cultural relics protection, the information and data center, the information department, the video department, the reception department, etc. In addition, there is a branch in Lanzhou.

Dunhuang Research Institute started from Dunhuang Art Research Institute in 1940s. After several generations of hard work, it has made brilliant achievements in Dunhuang Grottoes protection and research, Dunhuang Art and Dunhuang Literature Research, and Dunhuang culture promotion. Especially after the 1980s, following the working principle of "protection, research and promotion", a new situation has been created, and the achievements in various aspects have attracted the attention of the world.

In January 2017, Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing and North Qingyang Grottoes under Gansu Provincial Bureau of cultural relics were transferred to Dunhuang Research Institute for management. The management scope of Dunhuang Research Institute was further expanded.

In May 2017, on the occasion of celebrating the "International Museum Day", the awarding ceremony of national first-class museums was recently held in Beijing. Dunhuang Research Institute was successfully promoted to become two members of the third batch of 34 new national first-class museums added by the State Administration of cultural relics.

Unit leader

Mr. Chang Shuhong is known as the "patron saint of Dunhuang". This Hangzhou native, who was studying in France in his early years, came back to China and came to Dunhuang just because he happened to see a catalogue of Dunhuang murals compiled by Bohe in a foreign land. It was he who led to the establishment of the National Institute of Dunhuang Art in 1943, which is now the Dunhuang Academy

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As the first president, Chang Shuhong stayed here for several decades. This Hangzhou native who studied in France in his early years came back to China and came to Dunhuang just because he saw a book about Dunhuang murals compiled by Bosch in a foreign land. It was he who led to the establishment of the National Institute of Dunhuang Art in 1943, which is now the Dunhuang Academy. Until his later years, he had to be transferred back to Beijing. However, Dunhuang is obviously integrated into his life. He regards Mogao Grottoes as his "home" and always signs "guest living in Beijing" in his letters to friends. At the end of his life, he also told his children to study Dunhuang well. "Patron saint of Dunhuang" - these five words are engraved on the tombstone of Mr. Chang Shuhong

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Duan Wenjie is the second president of the Institute. This Sichuanese came to Dunhuang with Chang Shuhong. Since 1946, Duan Wenjie has copied more than 340 murals of different periods in the caves, creating many firsts in the history of individual copying in the Mogao Grottoes. His copy of the picture of the governor's wife worshiping Buddha is a typical work of restoring the copy, which can be called a masterpiece handed down from generation to generation. But now, he's gone, too

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In 1984, with the approval of Gansu provincial Party committee and government, Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute was established

Duan Wenjie is the president, Chang Shuhong is the honorary president, and Wu Jian is the chief consultant.

Since April 1998, fan Jinshi has been the president. Meng fanxin is the Deputy Secretary of the Party committee, Duan Wenjie is the honorary president, Wu Jian is the chief consultant, and Ma Zhengqian, Liu Huilin and Li zuixiong are the vice presidents.

It consists of the Party committee office, the administrative office, the security office, the Institute of conservation, the Institute of fine arts, the Institute of archaeology, the Institute of literature, the Dunhuang Grottoes cultural relics protection and Research Exhibition Center, the Dunhuang Information Center, the Dunhuang information department, the photography and video department, the reception department, and the academic committee. There are 248 staff in the hospital, including 8 research librarians, 16 associate research librarians and 51 librarians.

During this period, the implementation of overall, comprehensive and scientific protection increased the research of Dunhuang documents and broadened the research field of Dunhuang Grottoes. It not only continued to study the content and art of Buddhism, but also studied the era, history, social culture and art of the grottoes. In addition, a museum (i.e. Exhibition Center) has been established; Dunhuang Grottoes have been opened to the outside world for extensive academic exchanges with domestic and foreign scholars; the academic journal Dunhuang studies has been established; and a large number of research achievements have been published. Dunhuang Research Institute is a comprehensive research institution that integrates protection and research.

Due to its outstanding contribution to the reform and development of cultural heritage protection, on May 24, 2007, Dunhuang Research Institute was awarded the honorary title of advanced collective of national cultural relics system by the Ministry of personnel and the State Administration of cultural relics.

In March 2016, Zhang Xiantang and Zhao Shengliang were appointed Vice Presidents of Dunhuang Research Institute (one year's probation).

On May 25, 2019, the Dunhuang Research Institute held a general meeting of cadres, announcing that Zhao Shengliang will be the president and Deputy Secretary of the Party committee of the Dunhuang Research Institute, Ma Shilin will be the Secretary of the Party committee of the Dunhuang Research Institute, and Su Bomin will be the deputy president of the Dunhuang Research Institute (one year's probation).

Organization

Institute of conservation, Dunhuang Research Institute

In 1944, the National Institute of Dunhuang art was established and began to manage and protect the Dunhuang Grottoes.

In 1949, the National Institute of Dunhuang art was renamed the Dunhuang Institute of cultural relics, and a protection room (Group) was set up to begin the rescue, restoration and protection of the Mogao Grottoes. In 1984, the Research Institute of Dunhuang Cultural relics was expanded to the Dunhuang Research Institute, and the protection room was expanded to the Research Institute of Dunhuang Research Institute. She is the first specialized organization engaged in the protection of grotto cultural relics in China. Over the past 50 years, it has developed into a scientific research entity mainly engaged in the protection and research of grotto cultural relics, restoration of murals and statues, and engineering reinforcement. The Institute consists of Environmental Research Office, analytical research office, restoration technology office, archive information room, image processing research office, cultural relics protection technology service center, Dunhuang Research Institute, Gatty Conservation Institute (GCI), National Institute of culture and finance, Tokyo, Japan, and Osaka University cooperative project research laboratory. The Institute has formed a team of protection technology and restoration technology with nearly 50 senior, middle and junior professional titles, which is composed of doctoral, master, bachelor, chemistry, physics, engineering geology, computer, forestry, architecture, surveying and mapping, photography, meteorology and other disciplines. It also has a number of advanced analysis and environmental monitoring equipment, such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, Fourier infrared, polarizing microscope, automatic environmental monitoring instrument, etc. The director of the Institute is Dr. Wang Xudong.

Over the past few decades, we have completed the reinforcement of three Dunhuang Grottoes, as well as the restoration and reinforcement of murals and painted sculptures. At the same time, we have assisted or are completing dozens of major cultural relics protection and maintenance projects in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Henan, Ningxia, Tibet, Zhejiang, etc. More than 40 scientific research projects have been completed and under way, which are assigned by the Ministry of science and technology and the State Administration of cultural relics. Among them, 12 national and provincial awards and 1 national invention patent were won. In cooperation with some domestic universities and scientific research institutes, the Institute has successively completed the key scientific and technological research projects of Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Commission - "Research on the computer storage and management system of Dunhuang murals", and the national key scientific and technological research projects of the national science and Technology Commission - "research on the information of endangered and precious cultural relics"

Chinese PinYin : Dun Huang Yan Jiu Yuan