On August 31, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held the “Global Linking of Dunhuang Culture — An Encounter with the Chinese Civilization” event. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, Director of the Dunhuang Academy Dr. Su Bomin and more than 200 local students and guests from the U.S. cultural community attended the event.

Ambassador Xie said in his remarks that President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative last year. Dunhuang is exactly a vivid example of cultural exchanges and mutual learning. It is a testament to equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among different civilizations. It is witness to ongoing efforts to build on cultural legacy and renew it through innovation. It has also given a boost to international cultural exchanges and cooperation. Ambassador Xie stressed the importance of overcoming cultural estrangement through exchange, clashes through mutual learning, and arrogance through coexistence. He called for joint efforts to protect Dunhuang and other common cultural heritages of humanity, build a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, and promote harmony and shared prosperity among civilizations as well as amity among peoples, so as to live up to the mission of our times.

Dr. Su expressed his gratitude to the American institutions that have supported the Dunhuang Academy’s efforts to preserve cultural relics with digital technology, and also his expectation for continued cooperation. Dr. Neil Schmid, an American research fellow at the Dunhuang Academy, gave an online lecture and answered questions from the audience.

The guests had an immersive Dunhuang cultural tour at the exhibition area by viewing photos and high-fidelity replicas of Dunhuang murals, diving into the Cave 285 via a VR experience, posing for videos at the XR Studio, and playing the virtual game “Digital Library Cave”.        

The event was co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Gansu Province, the World Affairs Press and the Dunhuang Academy, and co-organized by the Chinese Embassy in the Bahamas and the Consulate General in New York.