Cities unite behind cultural preservation

Dunhuang, Gansu province, was once a hub where Eastern and Western civilizations met on the ancient Silk Road — with the Mogao Grottoes as a living witness, boasting vibrant Buddhist murals and sculptures.

Today, it still uses its cultural heritage to help cities of diverse cultural backgrounds understand and collaborate with one another, as participants at a dialogue agreed on Monday.

The 2025 "Global Mayors Dialogue · Dunhuang" was held in Dunhuang from Saturday to Monday, with guests participating in cultural experiences in the city during the first two days. The official opening ceremony kicked off on Monday, under the theme "A Symphony of Civilizations, Resonance in Harmony", aiming to implement the Global Civilization Initiative and build a more effective international communication system.

The event welcomed 200 attendees, both from China and abroad, including 23 international representatives from government delegations and cultural institutions across nine countries.

"Over the years, we have developed a set of core conservation technologies to protect ancient murals, sculptures and grotto temples. These practices can not only be applied to the conservation of the Mogao Grottoes, but also provide valuable experiences for other countries," said Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy.

The academy's cultural heritage conservation pattern has been promoted and applied in many key cultural heritage sites across China. He added that the next plan is to expand such efforts to the protection of cultural relics in Belt and Road countries, including Kyrgyzstan.

During the ceremony, Dunhuang officials signed letters of intent on establishing sister-city relations with Garni, Kotayk province, Armenia, as well as friendly exchange city relations with Manisa city, Turkiye.

"Both cities share a commitment to protecting cultural heritage. I'm impressed how Dunhuang promotes its deep culture via cultural and creative products and intangible cultural heritage," said Burak Deste, general secretary of Manisa Metropolitan Municipality.

He shared the city's experiences and vision on the preservation of cultural heritage and expressed hope that more people from both nations will visit each other's countries to explore magnificent historical sites and gain a deeper understanding of each other's culture and history.

Dunhuang officials also signed a memorandum on further enhancing friendly relations with Venice, Italy.

"The two cities will cooperate in various fields, including cultural heritage conservation, commerce, and education," said Massimo Andreoli, chairman of the Venice Carnival and artistic director of the carnival's opening ceremony.

He believed that for cities like Dunhuang and Venice with rich cultural heritage, the challenge lies in striking a proper balance between tradition and innovation.

Tradition refers to the preservation of traditional manufacturing, while innovation means leverage the opportunities offered by new communication and promotional tools including artificial intelligence.

"Cities across the globe share common challenges such as environmental protection. It's important to have such a dialogue for participants from different countries to share our views," he said.

He noted that Dunhuang was a symbolic place to host the event, just as it once served as a strategic gateway for cross-cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road.

"It's necessary to have such international cultural exchange, as it facilitates vibrant interactions among different civilizations, making this a mutually beneficial endeavor," said Steven Back, representative of the Hungarian National Museum in China.

He noted that the Digital Dunhuang project enables both Chinese and international scholars to better understand and learn more about Dunhuang.