Dunhuang

&;

&;

Dunhuang

is a village in western China in the Gobi desert, lying in a

valley formed by the confluence of the Quilan and Beishan rivers within

the

Yushaquan basin. It is essentiually an oasis in the Gobi desert.

In

ancient times it was an important stopping place for traders, pilgrims,

and

other travelers to and from China via the western approaches known as

the "Silk Road."

Nearby are

hundreds of "Mogao caves," or Buddhist temples which were carved out of

rock between the 4th century during

the Period of Sixteen Kingdoms (366-439 C.E.) to the 14th century with the end of the

Mongol Dynasty (1227-1368 C.E.). The caves were for nearly a thousand years

the repository of tens of thousands of ancient documents as well as

over 3,000 scuptures, and miles of painted murals.

Most of this ancient learning and artistic treasurers were hidden away

in sealed rooms at some unknown time in the distant past, then further

buried by centuries of neglect and blowing sand. The earliest

documented discovery of the Mogoa grotto contents dates to 1900.

Owing to anti-colonial strife, world wars, and the people's revolution,

serious archaeological excavation did not become feasible until the

1970's. What has been uincovered so far is as dramatic as it would be

were we somehow to discover the Alexandria Library did not burn after

all. Dunhuang's caves hold within them a vast collection of

ancient works authored not only by indigenous Chinese and Indian

Buddhists but also the thoughts and insights of countless foreign

travelers from far away to the west, north, and south.

In 1987, the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang were formally designated a World

Heritage Site by UNESCO. Today, Dunhuang has become a tourist

destination. But important archeological excavation and research

continues.

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Art

Review

"ZHIWEI

TU: The

Inextinguishable Soul"

Adapted from

"The Dunhuang

Music-and-Dance Oil

Painting Exhibition of Zhiwei Tu"

by Chen Ching Shan

1997

Edited by J.C. Barrett

An Ancient

Flash of

Light

Dunhuang

is today a sleepy, small town at the edge of the Gobi desert in western

China. In the earliest years of the Han Dynasty (205-247 B.C.),

however,

it had become a thriving commercial trade center, the Gateway to the

Silk

Road. Indeed, the town's very name evokes the excitement of its origins

as a cultural crossroads.


name="Inextinguishable">Dunhuang

is a combination of two Chinese words. The word "dun" means big

and

"hung" means flash of light. Dunhuang, accordingly, refers to the

"enormous flash of light" produced by the fusion of Chinese and Western

cultures brought about by the silk trade two millennia ago.

Dunhuang

became not only a commercial metropolis but also the center of Buddhist

art during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-533 A.D.). It was the

'enormous

flash of light' that attracted Chang Ta-chien to the treasure-trove of

Dunhuang and spurred his talents. Similarly, its beckoning was

the

attraction that tempted the Paris-based Chang Shuhong to abandon his

achievements

and return to China to guard and devote himself to the art of Dunhuang.

A Modern Day Flash

Today,

after the enormous flash first made its debut appearance in the 26th

year

of the Guangxu reign, artist Zhiwei Tu re-ignites the flame of Dunhuang

with his world-class series of paintings titled "Dunhuang

Music-and-Dance.&;

In

the mid-1980s, upon completion of his post graduate programme at the

Guanzhou

Art Academy, Zhiwei embarked on a journey to Dunhuang to research and

sketch

the astonishing riches of the Mogao Caves. Not only did the

rigorous

trip to the world-famous Buddhist cave-paintings fail to dampen his

ardor

for learning the secret of Dunhuang art, the vivid colour of the 2,000

year old murals made a strong visual and spiritual impact on him.

The mystical origins of the Mogao Caves, built in the second year of

the

pre-Qin period by a monk who is said to have sighted a strange golden

light

in the image of a thousand Buddha on entering Dunhuang, moved

Zhiwei

Tu deeply and prompted him to sketch a painting titled Dunhuang.

The

series of original Dunhuang mural paintings stretches to 25,000 meters

and is a rare gem of world art. In this artistic haven, Tu Zhiwei

assimilated the colour, line, and creative inspiration of the great

works.

In 1990, having accumulated the essence of the Dunhuang spirit he

painted

"Dancing While Paying Pipa,&; a mammoth oil painting in a magnificent

composition.

&;Dancing While Playing Pipa" caused a stir in Chicago and within weeks

of the exhibition it was bought by a collector for a sizable 6-figure

sum.

The Music-and-Dance Series of

Zhiwei Tu

Taking

Dunhuang as a point of reference, Mr. Tu subsequently created several

other

oil paintings on closely related themes, among which are "Testing the

Score&;

and "Musical Indulgence." All are imaginative, superbly crafted,

vivid evocations of ancient life in Dunhuang. "Dancing While

Playing

Pipa" was a repeated theme of the ancient masters of the Tang and Song

dynasties. Many hundreds of years later, as the Second Millennium

comes to a close, Mr. Tu aptly makes another mark in art history with

his

variation on the ancient theme of &;Dancing While Playing Pipa."

Tu

is in his prime. His natural oil technique and solid foundation

in

realistic depiction enable him to express himself freely and with great

power and joy. Through the Dunhuang Music-and Dance series of oil

paintings

his passion for painting, his excellent mastery of colour and sense of

rhythm, and his zest for life and music shine through brightly.

In

the presence of these paintings by Zhiwei Tu, one feels life itself is

renourished and reaffirmed by the painter's boundless creative energy

and

joy.

In

the paintings of this series, the inextinguishable 'enormous flash' of

Dunhuang art once again unveils its rich life force and artistic

soul.

At the same time, you and I, in appreciation of such remarkable

endeavor,

are awed and blessed by the inextinguishable soul -- the revival of the

glory of the sparkling Dunhuang Music-and Dance art.

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