Land of grapes

Grapes are one of the top products of Dunhuang, Gansu province.[Photo by Qiu Lei/For China Daily]

The Mogao Caves lie near the Crescent Lake. The caves contain one of the world's largest collections of Buddhist art. The 735 caves house more than 2,400 sculptures and about 45,000 square meters of murals.

Since the year 366, skilled artisans have worked on the statues and frescoes for generations, reflecting the artistic styles of different dynasties.

With tourist numbers rising, the Dunhuang Research Academy has been working for years to digitize the artifacts for better preservation.

For example, e-dunhuang.com offers data on 30 caves. It is also easy to book tickets online. Visitors can watch two movies - one that introduces the caves and the other that uses 3-D technology to showcase the sculptures and murals in some caves where visitors cannot go due to their fragile state.

Then tourists are divided into groups and each group follows a tour guide to visit eight caves. Only with the guide's explanation is one able to fully understand the meaning of the artworks.

In Cave 249, for example, a simple sketch vividly demonstrates two hunters shooting arrows at a tiger and three goats respectively. In Cave 259, a Buddha statue is called "Mona Lisa in the East" due to its mysterious smile.

At night, visitors can watch Encore Dunhuang, a show produced by Wang Chaoge. Debuted last year, the show, which aims to give visitors a time-travel experience, has audience members walking around for the most part, rather than always sitting down.