Unwavering commitment

陈小将

Behind the progress is the persistent dedication of heritage protectors, year after year.

In September last year, Xi, at Maijishan, encouraged cultural heritage professionals to inherit the "Mogao spirit", remain dedicated to safeguarding the nation's treasures and to contribute greater efforts to the preservation and innovation of China's fine traditional culture, as well as the improvement of the influence of Chinese culture.

Cave temples are often located in remote areas, sometimes lacking good environmental conditions. According to Yue Yongqiang, deputy director of the Maijishan Grottoes art research institute, heritage protectors can withstand the loneliness and stay for decades because they are obsessed with the charm of traditional Chinese culture and art, find their research direction there, and are committed to intensive studies of their subjects.

"It's all about insistence, passion and love," said Yue.

He said that predecessors such as Fan have set good examples for them. "They possess ideas and beliefs, love their cause and are not willing to give up their research, forming the precious 'Mogao spirit'," said Yue. "Their spirit has inspired more people to join, reminding us that despite the hardships, our work is very meaningful."

In May, Xi visited the Longmen Grottoes and called for protecting, inheriting and promoting the treasures of Chinese culture well.

Hang, director of the Yungang Research Institute, said: "Although protection is our priority, it's not reasonable to keep the relics sealed. Instead, we aim to strike a balance between protection and utilization, which means that while ensuring their protection, we explore ways to bring them back to life so they can benefit the public."

He said that the institute has organized a series of innovative exhibitions related to Yungang in many cities across the country. In an upcoming exhibition in Shanghai this month, there will be dancing robots based on stone carving figurines from a cave in Yungang.

Such efforts have made significant changes. "We have analyzed the data and found an interesting phenomenon: Every time we organize an exhibition in a city, visitors from that city flock to Yungang afterward. This means that exhibitions are an effective way to promote cave temples. With digital technologies, we will find more ways for such promotion," he said.