Mogao Caves look beyond past to focus on cultural heritage
When I first visited the famous Mogao Caves in Dunhuang 10 years ago, the beauty of the ancient Buddhist art was not the most moving part of the experience.
Instead, the emptied Cave 17, known infamously as the "Library Cave" because of the priceless frescoes, sculptures, scrolls, books and other artifacts that were stolen by foreigners from at least five countries in the early 20th century, spurred me enough to call for the rightful of the treasures to China, which is now fully capable of preserving them for posterity.
The first grotto near the Silk Road oasis in Gansu province is believed to have been carved out in AD 366. In the following millennia, the site grew to become of the world's finest repositories of Buddhist art whose influence continues to be felt beyond the religious, cultural and historical fields.
