Grottos get creative with their spaces

When Dunhuang is mentioned, the most lasting impression is of its historical inheritance, principally the must-visit painted grottos of the Mogao Caves.

In addition to preserving this treasured heritage, the city in Gansu province is now seeking to become more contemporary and cater to different needs, by setting up multifunctional cultural venues and offering experiences with a modern touch.

The Dunhuang Book Center is one such venue. Like other bookstores, it is stacked with books and creative cultural items, but it is also unmistakably of Dunhuang, with its exterior and interior design, titles and merchandise inspired by the grottoes and the murals.

It opened in April 2022, and two years later, earned a spot on the "most beautiful bookstores of the year" list at the Third National Conference on Reading in Kunming, Yunnan province.

Liu Xiaxia, general manager of the Dunhuang Gongmei Cultural Creativity Co Ltd, was its chief designer.

"We had hoped the center to receive attention on social media platforms. And in the three years since, it has steadily grown in popularity," Liu says.

Covering around 800 square meters, it includes some 25,000 books categorized under sections such as Dunhuang history, murals, and calligraphy.

The center also boasts its own "library cave", a reference to Cave 17, which is famous for the 50,000 historical artifacts. These include manuscripts, documents, textiles and ritual ware, from the 4th to the 14th century, found inside it when it was reopened. In tribute to the cave, the center set up a unique space dedicated to more than 1,200 publications on Dunhuang manuscripts.

"All of our books are about Dunhuang. Seventy percent of them have 'Dunhuang' written on their covers. Another of our features is our Dunhuang Inspiration brand. Our company has been developing cultural merchandise since 2016."

It has produced 50 series and more than 10,000 products. Each year, they introduce 1,000 new products. Visitors can easily find souvenirs to their liking, from fridge magnets to tote bags, all with designs that reinterpret traditional Dunhuang aesthetics.

The products make for good souvenirs. Among the most popular is a mural-based mystery box, with a miniature mural replica buried in sand from the Mingsha Mountain (or Singing Sand Dunes) scenic site. After they have unearthed the "mural", buyers can display it as an ornament and keep the sand in a small bottle.

For those who like to collect seals, the center has a range of mural-inspired stamps and meanwhile, the Dunhuang 1900 cafe is a cozy spot where visitors can take a break while enjoying a coffee.

"We are constantly striving to turn Dunhuang's aesthetic heritage, history, and cultural resources into tangible products," Liu says.

The center regularly hosts salons, forums, and reading sessions that have attracted upward of 200,000 attendees.

Its interactive learning space invites visitors to engage in creative activities such as book binding and painting, and also offers a hands-on experience of Dunhuang's intangible cultural heritage.

Collaborating with art education companies, the space hosts workshops teaching crafts, including copying murals, book binding, and making clay sculptures.

The mural copying workshops are available daily. Visitors can sit for an hour or two, and paint using natural mineral pigments on specially made boards that mimic the surface beneath the murals.

According to Liu Fang, a workshop instructor, the boards replicate the layering of the Mogao Caves walls, with each consisting of five layers. They are made by the instructors.

"We also have workshops to teach students to make them. We have sessions available for every step of mural art, from making boards and extracting pigments from minerals, to copying murals."

Ouyang Xuezi and her 7-year-old son experienced the workshop for the first time last month. Living in Guazhou county in Jiuquan, a two-hour drive away, they often come to Dunhuang for the weekend.

"I learned about this book center on social media, and was recommended it by friends, so I've wanted to come for some time. But my son was too little, and I worried he might disrupt the other readers. Now that he has entered primary school, I thought it was an appropriate time to bring him here," Ouyang says.

They initially came for the books, but her son was immediately taken by the painting workshop.

They spent an hour copying the famous mural of a nine-colored deer. Afterward, they bought a book about Dunhuang, and her son gladly made use of the center's stamps to mark their journey.

"I thought I'd need to help him with the painting, but the instructor was very patient, and he did it mostly by himself," she says.

"After this visit, I feel that there's another highlight in Dunhuang. Whenever we have friends visiting from outside Gansu, we always bring them to see the caves and the dunes. Now, I have another place to show them. Especially when the weather's unpleasant, it's nice to stay here to read or paint," she adds.

In 2024, the company launched Dunhuang Press, another creative venue that incorporates an interactive cultural space, a gift shop, and a cafe. Unlike the book center, which primarily focuses on publications, the new venue offers an immersive experience that highlights printing and stamping techniques.

Visitors can explore a variety of traditional and modern printmaking techniques, including woodblock printing, digital spray printing, and rubbing. With hundreds of seal designs inspired by Dunhuang's cultural heritage, visitors can collect stamps as mementos.

"Our approach has always been to create aesthetic spaces with a cultural and creative mindset. We aim to offer our visitors more content-driven cultural tourism destinations," Liu Xiaxia says.

"We aspire to be pioneers in shaping a lifestyle that reflects the essence of Dunhuang: enjoying an afternoon tea while looking out at the Danghe River, and reflecting on life. Ultimately, we aim to provide emotional value to our visitors."