A hand-painted copy of a Dunhuang mural is photographed at the Dunhuang Art Academy, adjacent to the famous Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
A hand-painted copy of a Dunhuang mural is photographed at the Dunhuang Art Academy, adjacent to the famous Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
Hand-painted copies of Dunhuang murals are photographed at the Dunhuang Art Academy, adjacent to the famous Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring Scenic Area in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
A hand-painted copy of a Dunhuang mural is photographed on a clay-made drawing board at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
A copy of a Dunhuang mural painted by a visitor is photographed on a clay-made drawing board at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
Copies of Dunhuang murals painted by visitors are photographed on a clay-made drawing board at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
Copies of Dunhuang murals painted by visitors are photographed on a clay-made drawing board at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
A statue is photographed at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
A statue is photographed at the Dunhuang Art Academy in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, on September 9, 2023. /CGTN
How do you unfold the infinite centuries-old charm of Dunhuang culture? Of course, the best way is usually to see it up close and explore it in person – whether you're wandering through the Mogao Caves, walking on the shores of the Crescent Lake, or climbing Mingsha Mountain – with the eyes to admire it, the knowledge to understand it, and the memory to savor and cherish it. But there's also another way – try copying a Dunhuang mural using ancient techniques!
Having dedicated their time to inheriting, restoring, and innovating Dunhuang murals, the Dunhuang Art Academy, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation this year, has been encouraging visitors to use the ancient copying technique of using a clay-made drawing board to recreate their very own Dunhuang murals to take home – painted by their own hands, stroke by stroke.