The alarm at 6 AM marked the beginning of my six-week journey as a guardian — this summer, I arrived in Dunhuang to serve as a Hong Kong intern guide at the Mogao Caves. At the Caves Monitoring Center, I noted that if the CO₂ concentration inside the caves exceeded 1500 ppm or if there were drastic fluctuations in temperature and humidity, it would trigger an alert — this sensitivity in data monitoring makes me understand that the protection of cultural relics is a precise science. I remember the teacher pointing at the real-time monitoring screen and saying, “These figures are the caves' pulse and blood pressure.”
The "Checkerboard Sand-fixing Engineering" showcases the fusion of ancient wisdom with modern technology. Each 1.5m x 1.5m checkerboard made of wheat straw can reduce wind speed by about 30%, and experts from the Dunhuang Academy are still improving this technology that began in the 1950s.
When I saw interns replicating murals at the Art Institute, I deeply understood that "the murals of the Mogao Caves, seen with the eyes, reveal only a fraction of their beauty; only by painting them yourself can you appreciate the remaining beauty." An artist was restoring the Lotus Child in Cave 321 and said, "Reproduction is not copying; you must understand the breathing rhythm of the Northern Wei artisans as they painted." This reminded me of Director Chang Shuhong's moment of discovery of the Dunhuang pictorial records at a Parisian bookstall — some encounters change the trajectory of a lifetime.
This week’s reflections:
- Cultural heritage conservation is a symbiosis of science and art.
- Monitoring data taught me that leadership requires precise judgment.
3.Sand control engineering confirms the restoration philosophy that "different sand hazards require different solutions."
<Happy Monday>
<Visiting the Dunhuang Art Research Institute's colored sculpture reproductions>
< The “crime scene” of rummaging through boxes at the Dunhuang Research Academy Library>
< Happy Friday: Night Market Foodie>
< Freedom in the desert on Saturday>