2025 marks the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the Mogao Grottoes' Library Cave in Dunhuang — an archaeological find that illuminated the Silk Road's spiritual and intellectual wealth.

Nestled at the edge of China's Hexi Corridor, the Mogao Grottoes are more than a wonder of Buddhist devotion — they are a living archive of cross-cultural exchange.

The unsealing of Cave 17 (now known as Mogao Grottoes' Library Cave) in 1900 unveiled tens of thousands of manuscripts from the 4th to 11th centuries — religious scriptures, contracts, calendars, and letters in multiple languages including Chinese, ancient Tibetan, and Sanskrit. This cave, dubbed as "encyclopedia of the Middle Ages", revealed Dunhuang's rich role in regional governance, education, medicine, and literature.

As a hub on the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang became a confluence of civilizations. Its Mogao Grottoes, built over the course of a millennium, reflect evolving artistic styles: The Gandharan-influenced vigor of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the elegance of Tang Dynasty (618-907) brushwork, and the bold forms of Tibetan-inspired Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) murals. The famed "flying apsaras", derived from Indian celestial beings, evolved into iconic images of Chinese spiritual imagination.

Though many texts dispersed globally, Dunhuang studies flourished as an international field. Chinese scholars like Chang Shuhong and Fan Jinshi dedicated their lives to protecting and digitizing these cultural treasures. Today, initiatives like "Digital Dunhuang" make this legacy accessible worldwide.