(W.E. Talk) What can be learned from Dunhuang, a model of inclusive Chinese culture? read full article at worldnews365.me

——An interview with Zhang Yuanlin, vp of Dunhuang Academy

By Feng Zhijun

(Journalist from Chinese language Information Service)

LANZHOU, September 1, 2022 (CNS) – Dunhuang in northwest China, known as “a world metropolis”, was a hub metropolis on the traditional Silk Street and a city of commerce and tradition, the place the 4 civilizations and three world religions converged. It grew to become a spot for China folks of different nations to change and combine, absolutely demonstrating the inclusiveness of Chinese language tradition.

How did the inclusiveness of Dunhuang tradition come into being? What can we study from it relating to exchanges and mutual studying between China and the West? Zhang Yuanlin, vp and researcher of Dunhuang Academy, gave an in-depth interpretation in an interview with China Information Service’s East-West Quest.

Excerpts from the interview:

China Information Service: After the Silk Street opened within the Western Han Dynasty, Dunhuang grew to become an excellent place for greater than 1,000 years due to the touring retailers. How did completely different nations and religions from the East and the West talk repeatedly?

Zhang Yuanlin: Based on Dunhuang murals, paperwork and excavated relics, multi-ethnic teams lived right here for a very long time, and varied languages had been used concurrently. The harmonious image mixing all components and traces of Jap and Western tradition could also be discovered in all places. This displays the historic incontrovertible fact that completely different nations and religions lived collectively in concord in Dunhuang, and gives vital supplies for learning varied civilizations’ exchanges.

Within the second century B.C., business and cultural actions between the East and the West grew to become more and more frequent, with Emperor Wu within the Han Dynasty establishing “4 counties [Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang] and two passes [Yumenguan and Yangguan].” From the fourth century A.D., overseas retailers from the Western Areas, represented by the business-savvy Sogdians [people of an ancient Iranian civilization], progressively entered the Central Plains, selling financial and business exchanges between the East and the West, and boosting integration and interplay in religions, cultures, languages and humanities. The weather of alien cultures had additionally been built-in into Dunhuang tradition, which was based mostly on conventional Chinese language tradition for the reason that Han and Jin dynasties.

Within the face of unpredictable journey, monks, envoys and retailers from the East and the West who trudged alongside the Silk Street for years longed for the blessings of spiritual spirits. In consequence, Dunhuang’s religions and folks beliefs diversified. Footprints of main religions that prevailed alongside the Street, corresponding to Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Nestorianism, Islam and Hinduism, could also be traced right here in Dunhuang.

Within the Dunhuang Grottoes, along with Han folks, photos of ethnic minorities like Tubo, Xixia and Uyghur, and even nations of Central and Western Asia could also be discovered. A six-character stele from the Yuan Dynasty, preserved by Dunhuang Academy, is engraved with Chinese language, Sanskrit, Tanguy, Uyghur and Mongolian scripts.

It demonstrates that Dunhuang tradition is a diversified, open tradition dominated by the tradition of the Central Plains, and it’s built-in with the nationwide cultures of many areas alongside the Silk Street, exhibiting the traits of openness, pluralism and inclusiveness.

CNS: Dunhuang was the window and gateway to the opening-up of historic China for a very long time. How did completely different cultures and religions coexist in concord through the exchanges of many civilizations? How has this course of enriched Chinese language tradition?

Zhang: In the course of the 1,500 or 1,600 years when the land Silk Street was in use, Dunhuang was an vital hub metropolis connecting Chinese language and overseas politics, economic system and tradition. The Dunhuang Grottoes had been fashioned on account of cultural exchanges between East and West. The distinctive Dunhuang tradition and Dunhuang Grottoes artwork had been based mostly on the Central Plain tradition, absorbing Indian, Central Asian and Western Buddhist artwork and thought. They progressively flourished with the affect of conventional tradition from the Central Plains and new achievements of Buddhism, then unfold to the encircling areas alongside the Street.

Why was there no ethnic or non secular battle in Dunhuang, the place diversified civilizations and beliefs intertwined? That is the code that has ensured the continuity of Chinese language tradition for 1000’s of years. Dunhuang was a key place to historic Chinese language and Western site visitors and a gateway to guard cultural and business exchanges between East and West, somewhat than a closed, conservative move.

Because the institution of Dunhuang County within the Western Han Dynasty, the residents had been all the time multi-ethnic, with the Han nationality as the primary physique.Nevertheless it additionally went by alternate regimes of a number of minorities, corresponding to Tubo, Xixia and Uyghur. As an alternative of wounding each other due to cultural variations, the folks of various nations and religions dwelling collectively for a very long time discovered from oneanother, coexisted in concord and even “worshiped Buddha in the identical cave.” This can be a microcosm of “unity in range” in Chinese language historical past.

Chinese language civilization has developed repeatedly to the current day as a result of it not solely inherits its personal cultural traditions but in addition embraces and learns from others. The formation and prosperity of Dunhuang tradition additionally replicate the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese language tradition, which has by no means been conservative or excluded overseas civilizations. Varied overseas ethnic minorities may also have satisfactory understanding and tolerance of various cultures and beliefs, additional enriching the connotation of Chinese language tradition.

CNS: Dunhuang research have turn into a world focus for the reason that discovery of Dunhuang Sutra Cave within the early twentieth century. However why has the research associated to the historical past of Sino-foreign relations failed to draw sufficient consideration within the improvement of Dunhuang research? How can we cope with such a drawback?　

Zhang: The Dunhuang Sutra Cave preserves about 60,000 items of cultural relics like manuscripts, embroideries, silk work and musical devices from the fourth to the tenth century, together with non secular and Confucian classics; historical past, philosophy and literature; official and personal paperwork; and language and characters of minority teams. They’re associated to many fields, corresponding to historic historical past, geography, politics, economics, literature, language, customs, music, science and expertise. It may be known as “the encyclopedia of the Center Ages” and “the ocean of the traditional academy.”

Over the 120 years for the reason that discovery of the Dunhuang Sutra Cave, its misplaced relics have been progressively sorted and revealed beneath the strenuous efforts and research of Dunhuang students on the planet. Their publication reveals what relics are within the cave and the way useful they’re, progressively forming a analysis foundation for “Dunhuang in China, Dunhuang research on the planet.” The Sino-foreign relationship can also be mirrored within the achievements of Dunhuang research for greater than 100 years.

It is vitally vital to review the historical past of Sino-foreign relations based mostly on Dunhuang supplies. Now some enhancements nonetheless have to be made on this facet. Home students have all the time given precedence to using conventional Chinese language historic information, however they lacked using Dunhuang paperwork as a result of not sufficient supplies had been accessible for analysis. In the meantime, Dunhuang supplies have not received due consideration in learning Sino-foreign relations by way of self-discipline development.

At current, Dunhuang Academy is conducting a serious nationwide challenge – “A Examine on Histories of Dunhuang and Sino-International Relations” –that can information and strengthen the systematic sorting of Dunhuang supplies and promote the depth and breadth of analysis on the historical past of Sino-foreign relations.

CNS: What could be discovered from the expertise of exchanges and mutual studying between East and West gathered in Dunhuang during the last 2,000 years? What position will it play within the Belt and Street Initiative?　　

Zhang: Dunhuang tradition accommodates the sumptuous and wealthy cultural connotation of the Chinese language nation. It concentrates on conventional Chinese language cultural values, together with folks first, equality and inclusiveness. It additionally embodies the historic and cultural mindset of “mutual profit and win-win” and “multicultural integration,” reflecting the inevitability of China’s formation as a rustic based mostly on multi-ethnic integration and reunification.

Many present cultural wonders on the planet have suffered injury, largely due to non secular and racial conflicts. Nevertheless, the Mogao Grottoes, in steady development for a thousand years, have been largely spared critical human injury. It exhibits that Dunhuang’s historical past was typically inclusive and harmonious, and that completely different languages, cultures and characters got due respect. The method of pluralistic integration may also have a silent affect on up to date folks.

Right this moment, with world transformation by no means seen in a century, the Dunhuang cultural connotations – together with multicultural coexistence, inclusiveness, mutual profit, respect for variations, and understanding – are nonetheless useful in creating Sino-foreign relations. The historic echo of unimpeded commerce and mutual understanding of the Dunhuang tradition can also be a language that may be understood by all events collaborating within the Belt and Street Initiative.

(Translated by QIN Qian)