01 ·
Echoes of the Past
In eastern China, if you go deep inside the desert, you will see hidden among the quiet mountains of Dungyang, thousands and thousands of paintings appear right in front of you, at that moment, what you see are the paintings that have survived for over a thousand years. These murals are not just beautiful artwork on ancient cave walls, they are much more than that. They are the path the ancestors went through, the memories, the history, the emotions they were trying to express and the dreams of countless people who lived long before we did. Every single brushstroke carries way more than what we see, they carry the story that allows us to have hope, have something to look forward to, the beliefs that always help us keep going and the creativity of people from the past that make us who we are today in the 21st century.
02 ·
Along the Silk Road
When you walk in the Mogao Caves, you can see all the Dunhuang murals. It's a collection of Buddhist cave temples near Dunhuang, Gansu Province. All these artwork were created between the 4th and 14th centuries and these caves also developed along the ancient Silk Road, it's much more than a road, it is a road where different people that have different cultures, backgrounds and religions meet each other. They gathered and exchanged to build the work we have now. And these murals show us the scenes of Buddhist stories, their daily life, their music, their dance, their architecture and nature they were living in. It shows not only the religious beliefs but also the way people think and understand the world around them before people can just type words online and know everything they want to know in just seconds.
03 ·
Flying Apsara: Freedom and Imagination
Flying apsara(飞天) is one of the most memorable images in Dunhuang art. The flowing ribbons go all the way through the art and graceful movements, these figures appear to dance through the sky. To me, beauty is the least, it's the way when you stare at it and you can feel the freedom, the imagination and the human desire to reach beyond ordinary life. Even though these figures were painted a long long ago, the emotions they are expressing still live in the present. They help us remember that the people in the past also dreamed, created and searched for meaning in their life just as what we are doing today.
04 ·
A Silent Conversation Across Time
The reason why Dunhuang murals are so special is the connection they create between the past and now. The artist left behind a piece of themselves that they might never have thought hundreds of years later people would still admire their work. It’s the silent conversation you are having with the people from old times when you look at it.
