Anecdotes from Mogao——Landscaping at the Mogao Grottoes
The tree-lined trails in the ancient cave temples of the Mogao Grottoes are an important element of the landscape of this historical site.Eighty years ago,however,the site was a wasteland only sparsely scattered with trees.When jurisdiction of the Mogao Grottoes was taken over by the national government in 1944,members of the Dunhuang Academy carried out a series of highly effective conservation activities under the leadership of Director Chang Shuhong that paid special attention to the land-scaping at the site and took good care of the trees growing in the area.When timber was needed for infrastructure construction,they purchased materials from Dunhuang city rather than chop down the trees growing near the caves.In addition,the academy planted trees extensively in the area in front of the caves and along the banks of the river,including both afforestation trees and fruit trees.In order to make the landscape around the caves green all year round,they even introduced cypress trees that had nev-er been planted in Dunhuang before.Overalong-term process of afforestation,the academy team persisted in their effort to make the landscape of this historical site as naturally beautiful as possible,which led to the current scenery of trees and flowers in front of the caves.The shaded view that visitors can now enjoy all year at the Mogao Grottoes is another legacy of the earliest conser-vation efforts at Dunhuang.
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