Guests visit the exhibition highlighting the Dunhuang Academy's conservation and research achievements at the 9th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

An exhibition highlighting the Dunhuang Academy's conservation and research achievements opened on Nov 3 at the Dunhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center as part of the 9th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo.

The conservation section outlines nine stages of mural restoration, including value assessment, condition surveys, environmental monitoring, materials analysis, restoration planning, and post-project monitoring.

Since 2019, the academy has carried out 44 conservation projects, restoring 55 caves, 6,313 square meters of murals, and 264 painted sculptures. Its technologies have been applied to 249 historical preservation projects in 13 Chinese provincial-level regions and to the Suyab Ruins in Kyrgyzstan.

The academy has also made significant progress in digitizing Dunhuang's cultural heritage. It has collected digital data from 323 caves, conducted 3D scans of 251 caves, digitally reconstructed 103 painted sculptures and scanned and archived 43,288 historical photographic negatives. More than 130 people are involved in the digitization effort.

The exhibition also highlights international cooperation, including a China-Kyrgyzstan joint laboratory, Dunhuang Culture Global Link events in 22 countries and more than 70 international academic conferences since 2019.

The academy's archaeological research, academic publications and major research projects, along with its Digital Library for Dunhuang Studies, launched in 2024, was also showcased at the exhibition.