In digital form, caves reveal their splendor
For more than a century the Library Cave, or Cave 17 of the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, in Gansu province, Northwest China, has been renowned for its extraordinary collection of relics and a tale with twists and turns.
To many who have had their curiosity piqued and want to know more about its legendary past, the Gobi Desert and the arduous journey to get there has deterred them from visiting to see for themselves the grandeur of the Dunhuang frescoes, and preservation requirements have resulted in limits on the number of visitors allowed access.
However, the Digital Library Cave, established this year by the Dunhuang Academy in conjunction with the technology company Tencent, has become yet one more way in which the public can get a virtual glimpse of the ancient wonder.
With technological solutions usually seen in digital games including photogrammetry, game engine rendering and cloud gaming technology, it provides a highly immersive, easily accessible and interactive experience with not only a representation of the physical grottoes in 1:1 scale and high definition but also historical scenes re-created, based on the input of scholars and engineers.
Through its English and French versions to be made available on the website Digital Dunhuang this month, people around the world can go on a digital tour of the Mogao Caves, the charm of which is deeply rooted in the city of Dunhuang, historically serving as a choke point for trade, religious and cultural exchanges along the ancient Silk Road.
Su Bomin, director of the academy, said: “The project has enabled the relics to come alive with new means of expression. It makes the value of these relics more accessible to the audience, especially young people.”
In 1900, when Wang Yuanlu, a Taoist priest, discovered the Library Cave by chance and opened the entrance of the sand-buried treasure trove, more than 60,000 Buddhist manuscripts, documents related to government and social economy, silk paintings, embroidery and sacred articles, among others, were brought to light after being hidden for nearly 1,000 years.
Rows of scrolls, dating from the fourth century to the 11th century, were piled up from floor to ceiling in the square chamber, which is 8.5 feet in length and width and 9.8 feet in height, making it one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
While the Dunhuang frescoes have recorded the glories of the past visually, the items of literature housed in the Library Cave have kept the historical essence through the written word, said Zhao Xiaoxing, director of the Dunhuang Textual Research Institute, Dunhuang Academy.
“The impressive collection of literature in the Library Cave represents one of the most inclusive, advanced and open facets of the ancient Chinese.”
Zhao wrote the scripts and storyline for the game-like program, based on the academy’s decades of research.
However, most of these relics were taken overseas and held in museums in London, Paris, St. Petersburg and Tokyo.
Today in Cave 17 a painted statue of Hongbian, chief of monks and a politically influential figure when the cave was built in the mid-ninth century and is said to be the owner of the cave, sits on a bed of earth, meditating.
A mural behind him depicts two bodhi trees with a fabric bag and a water flask hanging on the branches. Also shown are a Buddhist nun with a silk fan in hand and a female follower wearing the clothes of a man, holding a scepter and a towel. The western wall of the cave is embedded with a stele inscribed with stories of Hongbian’s life.
The statue, believed to be a portrayal of Hongbian, was originally found in Cave 362, nearly three stories above Cave 17.
In the 1960s Chang Shuhong (1904-94), the first director of the Dunhuang Academy, suggested moving the statue to Cave 17, which, as it turned out, seemed to fit the setting perfectly. This indicated that the statue was probably there originally but was later moved to the upper cave to make room for the manuscripts.
In the digital tour a view of Cave 17 filled with ancient treasures as it looked when it was unearthed and what it looks like today can both be seen.
As in a game, the audience plays the role of a timetraveling explorer and, under the guidance of Mogao Caves’ digital ambassador Jiayao, witnesses and takes part in the passing of the millennium, from when the cave was built, sealed and rediscovered, to how the relics were lost or scattered, and reunited virtually.
During the process, the audience meets eight nonplayer characters, all real historical figures, including Hongbian and Wang, the Taoist priest.
“The Digital Library Cave is a combination of art, academic research and technology,” said Li Hang, vice-president of Tencent’s corporate marketing and public relations, adding that it lowers the threshold required to learn about the cave and the relics.