The Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin is currently holding an exhibition of artworks from the Dunhuang caves in northwest China, a rich repository of paintings, sculptures, texts, and other artifacts spanning the 4th–14th century. Titled “Dunhuang – Untold Tales, Untold Riches,” the exhibition will conclude on 16 March 2015.
Buddha in the Parinirvana Pose, Cave 158, Dunhuang. Mid-Tang period, stucco.
From heritagemuseum.com.hk
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), 200 genuine artifacts are on display, as well as three replica caves from three different periods: the Northern Liang dynasty (c. 420–39), the early Tang (668–704), and the period just before the Yuan dynasty when the Mongols occupied Dunhuang, from 1227. There are also copies of the murals produced by the founding pioneers of the National Dunhuang Art Institute (precursor of the Dunhuang Academy), including Chang Shuhong and Duan Wenjie (Hong Kong Heritage Museum). Among the replica murals, the Nine-colored Deer Jataka, originally painted during the Northern Wei period (386–535), is of particular interest. Lou Jie, director of the exhibition center at the Dunhuang Academy, told the SCMP, “The Nine-Coloured Deer Jataka featured the Central Asian hunran method—a way of creating differing levels of depth by using one shade of colour—that became widely adopted by Chinese artists.” He added, “The characters in the mural are also seen wearing a different style of clothing. It’s likely that it was executed by artists from the west of China.”
“Nine-colored Deer Jataka,” Cave 257, Dunhuang. Northern Wei period, mural painting.
From heritagemuseum.com.hk
Besides the replica caves and murals, highlights include a 13-meter-long statue of the Buddha in the Parinirvana pose, wooden movable type in Uighur script, Buddhist sutras in Tibetan script, The Book of Psalmswritten in Syriac script, and the only extant printed copy in the world of Essential Mantras in Tangut script (Hong Kong Heritage Museum).
Since the event was opened by the chief secretary of the HKSAR, Carrie Lam, on 28 November 2014, hundreds of people have flocked to the museum daily to enjoy the artworks. Ms. Lam stated, “Dunhuang culture contains knowledge that one can never learn in a lifetime, art that will be appreciated for generations and endless interesting stories” (news.gov.hk). According to the SCMP, Dunhuang’s ancient grottoes are arguably China’s most important cultural relics.
While this reporter was visiting the exhibition there was a large variety of people, including a number of student groups with their teachers being shown around by the guides. Eddie Ng Hak-kim, secretary for education (HK), commented, “The Dunhuang exhibits and stories are very vivid and interesting. The participation of teachers and students can revitalize the education of Chinese history and Chinese culture, arousing students’ interest in learning Chinese history” (7th Space).
One visitor to the show told this reporter, “It is worth visiting the exhibition. Without having to go to Dunhuang, which is quite far away and would cost a lot, you can see many things . . . with just HK$20.” Another visitor said “There are more artworks than we see at the actual site. When you visit Dunhuang, you usually see the bigger artworks, but in the exhibition you see the smaller artworks too, and with the explanation from the guides, it is really fascinating.”
The exhibition is jointly organized by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Dunhuang Academy, and presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (of Hong Kong) together with the Dunhuang Academy. It is sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and supported by The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) Ltd., Hong Kong Design Institute and Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Lee Wai Lee), and Friends of Dunhuang of Hong Kong.