The Dunhuang Academy in Gansu province, China, is advancing international cooperation to preserve cultural heritage sites along the historic Silk Road, with a particular focus on strengthening ties with Kyrgyzstan. This effort underscores a growing partnership aimed at enhancing conservation practices through shared expertise, research, education, and professional exchange.

Dunhuang, historically a key crossroads of civilizations, is home to the Mogao Caves and other significant grotto sites, which have long attracted global attention. In 2019, President Xi Jinping urged the Dunhuang Academy to serve as a model for World Heritage conservation, emphasizing the importance of cultural confidence combined with openness to learning from other civilizations.

Building on this vision, the Dunhuang Academy launched a 40-day advanced training program in July, which brought together 25 young heritage professionals from China and five Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan. The program combines classroom instruction, laboratory work, and field exercises to provide practical training in heritage conservation.

China and Kyrgyzstan’s collaboration on cultural heritage has a nearly decade-long history, rooted in their shared legacy along the Silk Road. Notably, in 2014, China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan jointly secured UNESCO World Heritage status for the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor." The collaboration expanded in 2025 with the establishment of a China-Kyrgyzstan joint laboratory for cultural heritage conservation under the Belt and Road Initiative. This facility aims to foster research, exchange knowledge, and provide professional training to address conservation challenges unique to the region.

Wang Wanfu, deputy director of the Dunhuang Academy’s conservation research department, highlighted China’s extensive experience in preserving ancient sites and stressed the importance of adapting that experience to the specific conditions of Central Asia. The academy’s approach goes beyond transferring single technologies, focusing instead on comprehensive methodologies that include archaeological surveys, environmental analysis, conservation research, restoration, monitoring, and digital preservation.

Zhang Bo, an associate research fellow at the academy and a mentor for the training program, pointed out that conservation materials and techniques effective in China often need to be tailored to Kyrgyzstan’s distinct environmental conditions, such as wind erosion and freeze-thaw cycles. Site-specific assessments, small-scale trials, and collaborative evaluations are key steps before wider implementation of conservation measures.

At the Suyab archaeological site, identified as present-day Ak-Beshim in Kyrgyzstan, joint Chinese-Kyrgyz teams have assessed the site’s value and deterioration to inform future preservation efforts. This year, the partnership also upgraded a laboratory in Bishkek, equipping it to conduct rapid diagnostics and material testing locally, thereby accelerating routine assessments and monitoring.

The cooperation is evolving into a lasting mechanism encompassing joint research projects, expert exchanges, fieldwork, and specialized training. Participants like Samidin Bakirdinov, a Kyrgyz National University graduate, view the program as an opportunity to apply advanced methods such as 3D modeling and digital archiving to Kyrgyz heritage sites. He expressed hope that the partnership will expand to include more projects, a shared digital platform, and increased opportunities for professional exchange.

For the Dunhuang Academy, the partnership represents a broader commitment to the stewardship of cultural heritage beyond national borders. As Zhang Bo noted, sustainable conservation depends on cultivating talent and knowledge for future generations—a goal the China-Kyrgyzstan collaboration seeks to achieve through ongoing joint training, research, and field initiatives.