After working in the Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, for over 20 years and being in the constant presence of China's largest collection of Buddhist art and statues dating back more than 1,600 years, Yang Xiuqing, a research fellow with the Dunhuang Research Academy, is constantly worried about how much longer these priceless treasures can be sustained.

The frescos in the caves, representing a combination of Buddhist culture and the painting techniques of ancient Chinese artists, are quite fragile.

"I remember when I first saw those frescos all those years ago, their colors were more vivid and fresh than what we can see now," Yang told the Global Times on Monday.

Like many other research fellows studying the Mogao Caves, Yang is worried that this shining section of the Silk Road will fade away someday.

Going digital

Since 2000, the authorities responsible for preserving the Mogao Grottos have started working on a plan to digitize the caves, creating an online archive of the frescos and statues.

So far one fifth of the 492 caves with their over 2,000 colored Buddha statues and figures have been recorded digitally, Yang told the Global Times.

Yang explained that it will take quite a long time for the Academy to complete the digitization of all the caves, since digital technology has been constantly improving and so some of the early photos and videos that are less precise will be eliminated and those art works will have to be re-digitized with the latest technology and equipment.

 Since the frescos have been gradually declining in quality over the years, Yang said that they have created a priority list to help decide which ones to digitize first.

"We have selected 170 caves with the most complete and finest frescos as our priority," Yang said.

The digital image collection will be displayed online and made into movies so that tourists can spend less time in the caves, thus reducing the human impact on the art works within.

Two movies showing the caves have been made and shown in many countries and regions like the US and Hong Kong, while a tourism center has been built near the caves where the movies will be shown so visitors can get to know the caves before they enter.

Now that digital protection of cultural relics has been tested successfully, it will be promoted in other places as well, Yang said, adding that their preservation team is assisting in the digital preservation of caves in Datong, Shanxi Province.

Crowd control

Yang said the 75 minutes tourists spend in the tourism center will be very useful for both tourists and the preservation of the caves.

Currently only 30 caves are open daily to the public, while in peak seasons like July, when the number of tourists exceeds 3,000 a day, another 20 caves are opened to adjust the flow of foot traffic. Starting in July, every tourist will have to go to the tourism center before heading into the caves.

People are worried if the caves will still be open to the public, since frescos are fading due to the impact of increasing tourism, but Yang said so far they have no such plans. However, they are considering whether or not to limit the time visitors are allowed in the caves. "No more than 15 minutes," he said.

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