DCAM "Beyond the Strings" Lecture Series Preview｜Wu Shaowei: Dunhuang and the Scripture-Seeking Monks of the Silk Road

Lecture Time: Sunday, May 11, 19:00

Lecture Venue: 2nd Floor Auditorium, Yangpu District Library (No. 366 Changhai Road), Shanghai

Guest Speaker: Wu Shaowei

Moderator: Duan Zhiqiang

“The sandy rivers teem with evil spirits and scorching winds; those who encounter them perish, none survive. Above, no birds fly; below, no beasts roam. Gazing afar, one finds no landmarks but the bones of the dead to mark the way.”
—Faxian

In the writings of Faxian, the eminent monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Dunhuang was a perilous threshold between life and death, yet also a crossroads of faith and civilization. A millennium later, at the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum (DCAM), the scripture-seeking monks who braved sandstorms, fragmented sutras lost to time, and prayers frozen in grottoes converge with contemporary art’s deconstructive lens, sparking new interpretations and imaginations.

For this installment of the “Beyond the Strings” lecture series, DCAM is honored to host Wu Shaowei, Associate Professor at the School of History, Shandong University, who will deliver a riveting talk titled “Dunhuang and the Scripture-Seeking Monks of the Silk Road”, retracing the ancient journey toward wisdom and faith.

Speaker Profile

Wu Shaowei, Associate Professor at the School of History, Shandong University, specializes in Sui-Tang History, Dunhuang Studies, and Medieval Religious History.

Published over 30 academic papers in CSSCI and A&HCI journals, including China Historical Research, World Religious Studies, and Chinese Borderland History and Geography Studies.Authored monographs: Studies on the Moonlight Child Belief in Medieval China (Magnolia Press, 2022) and Contemporary Dunhuang Studies in China (1949–2019) (co-authored, China Social Sciences Press, 2020).Contributed to Global History from a Chinese Perspective.Led two National Social Science Fund projects and one Shandong Provincial Social Science Fund project.

Lecture Outline

  • Why is Dunhuang so pivotal?

  • How did it become a vital passage for scripture-seeking monks?

  • From Dharmarakṣa of the Wei-Jin era to Faxian of the Eastern Jin and Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty—how did these travelers, who paused here or ventured westward, shape ancient China’s cultural exchanges?

In this lecture, Professor Wu Shaowei will guide audiences through Dunhuang’s millennium-spanning history, exploring the westward journeys of monastic pilgrims, deciphering the evolution of ideas and faith at this crossroads, and reflecting on the profound impact of cross-civilizational dialogue.

Participation Guide

Onsite Attendance:Reserve via the Official WeChat Account of Yangpu District Library or the Cultural Cloud Platform.

Online Livestream: Follow DCAM’s WeChat Channel and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) account for live links and updates.