Dunhuang Caves Open: Wang Yuanlu Discovers Ancient Texts
Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu accidentally unsealed Cave 17 at the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, China, in June 1900, discovering a library of approximately 50,000 ancient manuscripts, paintings, and printed documents that had been sealed since around 1002 AD. The collection included the Diamond Sutra, dated 868 AD, the world's oldest known complete printed book. Manuscripts were written in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Sogdian, Hebrew, and other languages, documenting the cultural exchange along the Silk Road. Hungarian-British archaeologist Aurel Stein arrived in 1907 and purchased thousands of manuscripts for a pittance. Paul Pelliot of France followed in 1908. Chinese scholars were outraged by the removal of national treasures, and the episode became a symbol of Western cultural imperialism in China.
June 25, 1900
126 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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