Carving out a niche

The head of Lanzhou University's Dunhuang studies program has spent years building up a global reference resource for academics, Cheng Yuezhu and Ma Jingna report in Lanzhou.

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang in Northwest China's Gansu province have gifted the world with treasured murals, beautiful sculptures and literature of rich historical, cultural and artistic value. This led to the worldwide emergence of Dunhuang studies in the early 20th century.

Zheng Binglin, a professor at Lanzhou University and director of the university's Institute of Dunhuang Studies, has devoted over three decades to the development of this discipline in China.