How can we experience Dunhuang art in Yangpu? The Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum opened at Changyang Campus in November 2024, and has swiftly become a new cultural landmark in the city. With Dunhuang culture as its cornerstone, the museum engages in scholarly endeavors such as research, exhibitions, collections, publications, education, digital transformation, and public programs, showcasing the rich diversity of human arts and thoughts.

Changyang Campus, a city-level cultural and creative industrial park that integrates cultural innovation and technological innovation, has drawn nearly 300 leading innovative & start-up enterprises and a global pool of entrepreneurial talents. The park, once home to the China Textile Machinery Factory, embodies a century of industrial heritage.

The convergence of Changyang Campus's century-long transformation with the millennia-old splendor of Dunhuang art not only nourishes the dreams of entrepreneurs with cultural sustenance and intellectual inspiration but also merges traditional cultural elements with the digital and modern, making them accessible to ordinary people and interwoven into the urban texture of Yangpu…

Embracing "Tech Innovation" and "Cultural Creation": Bridging the Digital Era with Cultural Heritage

Recently, CITIC Publishing Group published a new book, First Glimpse of Dunhuang: A Collection of Restored Dunhuang Murals, with a salon held at the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum. Author Shi Dunyu, a Dunhuang mural restoration artist and successor to the intangible cultural heritage item - "Dunhuang Mural Line Drawing Technique" graced the event with her presence.

The book showcases 112 meticulously restored Dunhuang murals, enabling readers to bypass the ravages of time and appreciate the millennia-old beauty and culture with clarity. Shi shared the story of two generations of her family—initial Dunhuang scholars Shi Weixiang and Ouyang Lin, and her own 70-year dedication to preserving and reviving the art of Dunhuang. Her engaging storytelling allowed the young audience and white-collar workers from the park to feel the profound cultural significance and the moving narrative of cultural inheritance behind the exquisite painting skills.

Shi's meticulously restored piece, "Three Hares Sharing Ears" Lotus Ceiling Pattern, was showcased in the inaugural exhibition "Staging Dunhuang" at the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum. On the occasion, she, adorned with an exquisite nine-colored deer brooch, said, "Incorporating Dunhuang art into Changyang Campus fosters innovation in ancient arts." In her book's preface, she shared her perspective regarding Dunhuang's cultural and creative endeavors, "For Dunhuang art to become part of everyday life, we must not remain stagnant; hence, I support the innovative endeavors of the younger generation, such as integrating elements from the murals into the creation of cultural and creative products or exploring digital extensions and revitalizations."

The canvas painting of "Three Hares Sharing Ears" Lotus Ceiling Pattern created in 2022

Changyang Campus's spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship aligns seamlessly with Dunhuang culture's quest for development through innovation. As a municipal cultural and creative industrial park, Changyang Campus will continue contributing to the global promotion of Dunhuang culture, enhancing its international presence and presenting a diverse, rich, and dynamic image of China to the world.

STI Group, one of the initiators of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum, said, "We believe that the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum will evolve beyond a cultural landmark in Changyang Campus; it will become a central IP, drawing together technological and cultural creative enterprises from across the country and around the world. Inspired by Dunhuang, they will journey with Dunhuang culture onto the world stage."

Inspiring Creativity with Culture, Enriching Innovative Spaces with Books and Art

Changyang Campus stands as a beacon of urban revitalization and a hub for the sci-tech innovation industry in Yangpu, consistently embodying a "cultural and artistic flair", offering a fertile ground for entrepreneurs to thrive. The romanticism of culture and art has endowed Changyang Campus with distinct characteristics and qualitative enhancements.

In 2014, Yangpu initiated the renovation of Changyang Campus. In 2017, the main venue of the Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week was set up in Changyang Campus, heralding a new chapter in its transformation and upgrade. Since then, Changyang Campus has evolved into a Campus-style innovation and entrepreneurship district characterized by its "boundless yet full of life" ethos.

The area has meticulously preserved the industrial historical heritage, maintaining the original factory structures to the greatest extent, creating a distinctive industrial-style landscape. In recent years, Changyang Campus has seen the establishment of an enterprise center, an entrepreneurship center, a sports center, a vitality center, and an art center, harmoniously integrating work, study, dining, sports, and social functions with the natural environment. This has created a healthy, congenial, and comfortable campus-like space experience for entrepreneurs and white-collar workers.

Immersed in Changyang Campus, one experiences the interplay of technology and humanities, art, and innovation... For knowledge workers at the cutting edge of technology, this industrial-style "garden" serves as a place for finding innovative inspiration and arousing creative vitality.

In 2021, CITIC Books established its presence in Changyang Campus, signifying its inaugural foray into a science park. White-collar workers here enjoy coffee, read fine books, and make friends, transforming the cultural space into a platform for resource aggregation and collaboration. This June, the Pingliang Branch of Yangpu Library made its home in Changyang Campus, pioneering as the city's first library within a science park. It enriches the lives of local white-collar workers and residents with an array of fine books and diverse cultural activities, contributing to the dynamic tapestry of "a blend of scholarly and earthly aromas" that defines Changyang Campus.

Moreover, Changyang Campus is a stage for those with artistic aspirations to realize their value. It frequently hosts a spectrum of engaging events, including quarterly reading clubs, itinerant micro Party classes, international art festivals, the Changyang Campus AI Public Welfare Alliance, lawn concerts, and other performances. It also regularly showcases art exhibitions, cultural salons, and creative markets, seamlessly intertwining culture, creativity, cuisine, and art. These events offer a platform to experience the intellectual prowess of renowned artists, designers, and scholars from around the globe, fostering a space for inspiration and progress through interaction.

Changyang Campus, with its pursuit of "unparalleled excellence", serves not only as a cradle for business development but also as a platform for cultural exchanges and art display. The scent of books and cultural atmosphere will further enrich the science park, enhancing its soft environment and propelling entrepreneurs to reach for their dreams and achieve new heights.

Come and experience the vitality of Changyang Campus! Currently, the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum's inaugural exhibition, "Staging Dunhuang", is bridging the dialogue between ancient and modern, unraveling the mysteries of tradition, and uniting us within Yangpu, within Changyang Campus, gazing towards Dunhuang, and linking to the world.