Wang Xudong, Director of the Palace Museum, was a guest at the UIBE Open Lecture Hall

Telling the story of Dunhuang and the Forbidden City

w88 casino News Network (Reporters Qiao Xuezhu, Huang Haining, Photography Zhang Yujun)2021On the afternoon of June 11, 2020, the w88 casino' Opening Lecture Hall was held in the lecture hall on the second floor of the International Exchange Building. Wang Xudong, Dean of the Palace Museum, was specially invited to give a special report on "Dunhuang and the Forbidden City - the Crystallization of Tolerance and Mutual Learning of Chinese Culture."This event is jointly organized by the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of the w88 casino and the National Institute of Opening up,Yang Xueyi, leader of the third circuit guidance group for party history study and education in colleges and universities of the Ministry of Education, and Tian Meng, liaison officer,All w88 casino leaders, all middle-level cadres, and representatives of teachers and students from the w88 casino of Government and the w88 casino of Chinese Language and Literature attended. The event was hosted by Jiang Qingzhe, secretary of the w88 casino party committee.

Dean Wang Xudong’s report used more than 200 pages of colorful pictures, showing the exquisite murals of the Mogao Grottoes and the magnificent architecture of the Forbidden City, introducing the historical heritage and cultural connotation of Dunhuang and the Forbidden City, and leading the audience further into the splendid Chinese culture.  

What are the similarities and differences between Dunhuang and the Forbidden City? In Wang Xudong's view, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is a world of Buddhist art. The formation of Dunhuang culture has a lot to do with its special geographical location in the exchange between the East and the West; and the Forbidden City is the gathering place of Chinese culture. Dunhuang and the Forbidden City are both joint creations of the state and the people. The formation of Dunhuang culture comes from folk cultural beliefs, but its development cannot be separated from the strong backing of the state and the strong support of the government. The formation of the Forbidden City culture reflects the power of the country's will. From the "Yongle Dadian" to the "Sikuquanshu", from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the Kunning Palace, from Qianli Jiangshan to Jinou Yonggu, all of them reflect the feelings of family, country and world. However, it is also because of people's active donation of cultural relics and enthusiastic protection of cultural relics that the Forbidden City has developed better. The formation of these two major cultural palaces was driven by the two major forces of the people and the state.

At the same time, the protection of Dunhuang and the Forbidden City also reflects the combination of state power and private power. In 1961, the Mogao Grottoes and the Forbidden City became the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes and the Forbidden City became the first Chinese heritage sites to be included in the World Heritage List. Before becoming the director of the Palace Museum, Wang Xudong stayed in the Gobi Desert for 28 years. Among the people, many people with aspirations like Wang Xudong have devoted their youth to the research and protection of cultural relics, forming the "Mogao Spirit" of adhering to the desert, being willing to contribute, being courageous, and pioneering, and polishing the ingenuity and no regrets of "I am repairing cultural relics in the Forbidden City."    

Wang Xudong said that cultural development is inseparable from integration and mutual learning. Dunhuang culture and the Forbidden City culture are the crystallization of the exchange and integration of Chinese and foreign cultures and the cultures of different ethnic groups within China. They are the product of the collision and combination of multiple cultures. It can be seen from the murals of the Mogao Grottoes that many figures and objects have distinct characteristics of the times and regional characteristics, and have both Eastern and Western characteristics. In the Forbidden City, we can see the fusion of different religions and cultures in the cultural relics, reflecting the inclusiveness and vitality of Chinese culture.

Secretary Jiang Qingzhe said in his speech that President Wang Xudong’s report was vivid and rich in content with pictures and texts. The formation of the two cultural palaces, Dunhuang and the Forbidden City, is the result of mutual learning and tolerance of Chinese culture. The protection of cultural heritage is inseparable from the combination of state and private forces. This report inspires us to inherit the Chinese nation's everlasting and ever-lasting cultural genes, build cultural confidence, absorb the outstanding achievements of human civilization with a broader mind and a more open and inclusive mentality, build a culturally powerful country, practice the great concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly guard the precious cultural heritage of mankind.

This conference is the second lecture of the w88 casino’ “Opening to the Outside World Lecture Hall”. In order to further promote the study and education of Party history and the "Four Histories" education, and further promote the ideological and political construction of the curriculum, in 2021, the w88 casino will build on the successful holding of the "China's Opening-up Lecture Hall in the New Era" in 2018, gather the strongest teaching staff inside and outside the w88 casino, optimize the work plan, and launch the upgraded version 2.0 "Opening-up Lecture Hall" high-end series of academic reports. The "Opening Up Lecture Hall" is positioned as the highest academic brand and the best ideological and political course platform of the University of International w88 that integrates academic, authoritative, high-end and educational aspects. It is the top academic platform in the field of opening up to the outside world, an authoritative platform to explain the new situation and new strategies of opening up to the outside world, a high-end think tank platform in the field of opening up to the outside world, and a top ideological and political course platform that organically combines professional knowledge with ideological and political education.