Bringing Dunhuang's murals to life

Artist and choreographer responsible for devising dance tradition based on Mogao's images are focus of touring exhibition.

In a grand hall at Beijing's Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, a captivating scene unfolds as 93-year-old artist Chang Shana and 89-year-old choreographer Gao Jinrong walk into the room holding hands.

Their bond has been forged by their shared vision of breathing life into Dunhuang's ancient murals through dance, ensuring that their beauty and significance continue to captivate and inspire.

Home of the Mogao Caves — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was created between the 4th to the 14th centuries — Dunhuang is renowned for its Buddhist murals and statues, masterpieces that not only vividly illustrate the spread of Buddhism across China, but are also enduring symbols of Chinese civilization.

As Chang and Gao pored over images of the frescoes, their conversation flowed effortlessly, blending reverence for the past with excitement for their creative endeavor.

Their meeting was part of an ongoing exhibition on tour at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, Everlasting Beauty of Dunhuang. The 400-odd exhibits include Chang's reproductions of the murals, and are a showcase of the lifetime achievements of the respectable scholar of the Dunhuang art.

During the meeting, young dancers from the Beijing Dance Academy and the Art Vocational College at the Lanzhou University of Arts and Science in Gansu province, performed pieces choreographed by Gao based on the murals, transforming their timeless beauty into a live dance experience.

To the sound of elegant and archaic melodies, dancers performed hip twists and knee bends, extended their arms, and moved gracefully to the rhythm of instruments like drums and gongs. Their facial expressions, graceful hand movements, flexible arm positions, and costumes, were all based on images depicted in the murals.

"The dances and the murals are both integral parts of the cultural and artistic heritage of Dunhuang. The murals in the Mogao Caves often depict scenes of dance and dancers, which provide valuable insight into the dance styles, costumes, and cultural practices of the era," says Gao, who is the founder of the Dunhuang dance teaching system, and a prominent expert of the Dunhuang dance at the Lanzhou University of Arts and Sciences. She has dedicated her entire life to dance, devoting her energy to uncovering and developing Dunhuang's rich artistic heritage.

The dancer-turned-choreographer was inspired by the murals when she created the highly successful dance drama, Silk Road Flower Rain, in 1979. Over the course of a year, Gao visited the Mogao Caves five times, meticulously studying each of the 400 caves with a flashlight and candles.

She replicated over 200 dance poses from the murals and read thousands of pages from artistic and historical literature, taking extensive notes. Her challenge was to translate the static images into dynamic, fluid movements.

"I was intrigued by Dunhuang dance, which is characterized by its delicate and graceful movements. The murals capture an ethereal and elegant charm reminiscent of celestial beings," says Gao. "They helped us understand how dance was an essential part of religious and cultural rituals, reflecting both the spiritual and social aspects of the time."

Gao expresses her gratitude to Chang Shana's father, Chang Shuhong (1904-94).Chang Shuhong was the founding director of the Dunhuang Academy, and committed his life to the protection and conservation of the caves.

"Chang Shuhong gave me 102 sketches of Dunhuang dance by Wu Manying of the Chinese National Academy of Arts. The line drawings were key to my artistic inspiration when it came to creating the Dunhuang dance teaching system," says Gao, who compiled the Dunhuang Dance Teaching Outline and taught the first group of students in the genre at the Gansu Arts School in 1980.

In 2011, the Gansu Arts School was integrated with the Lanzhou University of Arts and Sciences, which established a Dunhuang Dance Heritage and Development Research Center to further develop and promote the genre as a distinctive feature of its artistic education.

For Chang Shana, Dunhuang occupies a special place.

"Dunhuang is my hometown. Father often said, 'Shana, don't forget you are from Dunhuang'," says Chang Shana.

"These murals are not just artistic masterpieces but also serve as windows into the spiritual and cultural life of the ancient China. Each figure and movement they capture tells a story of ritual and reverence, and creates a vibrant historical tableau," she says.

"By reinterpreting Dunhuang's visual and spiritual elements through dance, Gao and the dancers bridge the gap between past and present, creating a new understanding of ancient traditions."

Born in Lyon and raised in Paris until she was 6, Chang Shana returned to China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). When she was 12, she arrived in Dunhuang, where she endured harsh desert conditions working alongside her father as he made sketches of the Buddhist murals and statues in the Mogao Caves.

Her deep affection for Dunhuang has endured, influencing her work in painting and design.

Following in her father's legacy, Chang Shana replicated wall paintings and figurines from different periods. In 1948, she moved to Boston to study art and museology, and then returned to China to work with the renowned architect Lin Huiyin, who offered her a job as an assistant lecturer at the architecture department of Tsinghua University, and introduced her to design and education.

Lin's mentorship inspired Chang to incorporate Dunhuang elements into her design projects, including on silk scarves, as well as in the interior decorations for notable Beijing landmarks such as the Great Hall of the People.

The Everlasting Beauty of Dunhuang exhibition is Chang Shana's latest tribute to her father's dedication, continuing her lifelong commitment to preserving and celebrating Dunhuang's artistic heritage.