History set in stone

Digging in • In 366, the first cave is carved by Yuezun, a Buddhist monk who happens to visit Dunhuang.

• The first large-scale boring of grottoes begins in Dunhuang during the Northern Liang (401-439) kingdom period.

• Rulers of the Northern Wei (386-534), Western Wei (535-556) and Northern Zhou (557-581) dynasties follow Buddhism and contribute to the expansion of the grottoes.

• Booming trade along the ancient Silk Road gradually helps the Mogao Caves become prominent in the seventh and the eighth centuries. During the reign of empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), more than 1,000 caves exist at the site.

• Dunhuang is ruled by the Tibetan Tubo regime from 781 to 848, who dig 56 caves.

• Local warlords govern Dunhuang from 848 to 1036, creating many family grottoes.

• The Western Xia (1038-1227) regime of the Tangut people control Dunhuang, carving 77 new caves.

• About 10 surviving caves are carved after Mongols conquer the Western Xia in 1227. The carving of new caves stops following the decline of the Silk Road in the 14th century.

Outsiders look in • 1900: The “library cave” is found by Wang Yuanlu, a Taoist guarding the Mogao Caves at the time, followed by swarms of Western explorers, who later scatter documents around the world.

• 1907: British scholar Marc Aurel Stein visits Dunhuang for the first time, taking 24 boxes of documents and five boxes of other cultural relics back home with him to “study”.

• 1908: French Sinologist Paul Pelliot arrives in Dunhuang and develops the first numbering system for the caves. He also takes away key manuscripts, estimated to be in the “thousands” by the Chinese government.

• 1914-15: Russian scholar Sergei Oldenburg visits Dunhuang and takes away manuscripts and murals.

• 1924: Langdon Warner from the United States steals 26 murals and several Buddhist statues.

• 1920s: Dunhuang studies begin to appear as a new discipline in parts of the world. In China, scholar Chen Yinke uses the term “Dunhuang studies” for the first time in 1930, while in the English-speaking world, it becomes known as “Tunhuangology”.

• 1941-43: Renowned painter Zhang Daqian stays in Dunhuang and makes replicas of the murals.

• 1942: A large-scale scientific exploration organized by the government is completed in Dunhuang.

• 1944: The Dunhuang Academy (called the Dunhuang Art Institute then) is set up by the government to better protect and study the caves. Chang Shuhong becomes its first director and serves in the post for 40 years.

• 1964: The current numbering system of the Mogao Caves is established.

• 1979: The caves open to the public.

• 1984: The Dunhuang Academy upgrades facilities at the site. Duan Wenjie becomes the director.

• 1987: The caves are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

• 1998: Fan Jinshi becomes director of the academy.

• 2014: The current tourist center of the Mogao Caves opens, setting a cap of fewer than 6,000 visitors a day. Wang Xudong becomes director of the academy.

• 2019: Zhao Shengliang becomes director of the academy.