Dunhuang Mogao Caves

Dunhuang Mogao Caves

The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang are a world-renowned holy site of Buddhist art, located under the Mingsha Mountain in the southeast of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, China. As one of China's four great grottoes, Mogao Grottoes are renowned for their exquisite murals and sculptures, and are a treasure of ancient Chinese Buddhist culture. However, this thousand-year-old cultural heritage is facing unprecedented threats from climate change. Rising temperatures and frequent extreme weather events due to climate change have had both direct and indirect impacts on the Mogao Grottoes. Rising temperatures accelerate the weathering process of the murals, putting these precious works of art at risk of fading and flaking. At the same time, extreme weather events such as heavy rains and sandstorms also pose a threat to the structural safety of the Mogao Caves. Heavy rains may cause the humidity inside the caves to rise, further affecting the state of preservation of the murals. On the other hand, sand and dust storms may erode the external structures of the caves, causing physical damage to the sculptures and murals. In addition, climate change may exacerbate regional water stress, affecting the groundwater system on which the Mogao Grottoes depend, and in turn affecting the stability of humidity and temperature inside the caves, which would be extremely detrimental to the long-term conservation of the murals and sculptures.

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Yuwei Ai

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The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang are a world-renowned holy site of Buddhist art, located under the Mingsha Mountain in the southeast of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, China. As one of China's four great grottoes, Mogao Grottoes are renowned for their exquisite murals and sculptures, and are a treasure of ancient Chinese Buddhist culture. However, this thousand-year-old cultural heritage is facing unprecedented threats from climate change. Rising temperatures and frequent extreme weather events due to climate change have had both direct and indirect impacts on the Mogao Grottoes. Rising temperatures accelerate the weathering process of the murals, putting these precious works of art at risk of fading and flaking. At the same time, extreme weather events such as heavy rains and sandstorms also pose a threat to the structural safety of the Mogao Caves. Heavy rains may cause the humidity inside the caves to rise, further affecting the state of preservation of the murals. On the other hand, sand and dust storms may erode the external structures of the caves, causing physical damage to the sculptures and murals. In addition, climate change may exacerbate regional water stress, affecting the groundwater system on which the Mogao Grottoes depend, and in turn affecting the stability of humidity and temperature inside the caves, which would be extremely detrimental to the long-term conservation of the murals and sculptures.