On the night of January 7, an event themed "Ascent of Blessed Deer, Lighting of Mingsha Mountain" took place at Changyang Campus, marking the unveiling of the  nine-colored deer sculpture named "Ascent of Blessed Deer" and the Laba Festival lighting ceremony. This event merged the essence of Dunhuang culture with modern art, offering a cultural feast where tradition and modernity blend.

The event began with a lecture by artist Zhou Zhenru, titled "From Laba Lighting to A River of Stars", which explored the lighting customs depicted in ancient artworks and literary works, with a focus on the Laba Festival lighting tradition at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang at the beginning of the New Year. She analyzed the light and shadow installation A River of Stars, created based on this tradition, and discussed how the historical context of the Dunhuang caves can serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary art and life. Additionally, a New Year collaboration work, inspired by Dunhuang elements and created by illustrator artist Lu Mao, demonstrated the perfect fusion of traditional culture and contemporary art, allowing the audience to closely experience the unique charm of Dunhuang culture and its creative vitality in the contemporary era.

We learned that the manuscript Allocation of Cave Lights during the Laba Lantern preserved by the Dunhuang Academy, documents the "lighting of lamps in all caves" by the Dunhuang monastic community at the Mogao Grottoes in 951 AD. This record serves as a significant historical testament to the profound and sacred nature of the Laba Festival traditions. In light of this, a symbolic "lighting ceremony" was conducted at the event, representing the continuation of heritage and the conveyance of blessings. Shi Dunyu, a custodian of Dunhuang murals and a successor to the intangible cultural heritage of Dunhuang mural line drawing techniques, retrieved the flame and passed the illuminated lamps to the children present. He then guided the visitors through "Mingsha Mountain", where each visitor collected a lamp from the sandy hill to illuminate the "Ascent of Blessed Deer" sculpture, featuring the nine-colored deer.

The interplay of lights and stars brightened the night, symbolizing the "Ascent of Blessed Deer". The term "Ascent" is traditionally used to describe the image of a snake and also embodies the positive connotations of rising, advancing, and increasing. "Rejoicing in Ascent" is not only a New Year's wish but also serves as an inspiration and guide for people's hearts, encouraging them to face challenges and opportunities in life with a more positive and optimistic attitude.

At the event, the visitors savored the traditional Laba porridge, immersing themselves in the warmth and delight of the festival. The "Mingsha Lighting" blessing ceremony will persist through to Chinese New Year's Eve, offering prayers for the New Year ahead.

The event facilitated the expansion of the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum's artistic repertoire beyond its confines and into the surrounding park, merging contemporary art forms with traditional intangible cultural heritage techniques. This fusion has established a cultural platform that fosters a conversation between the old and the new, thereby broadening the reach of Dunhuang's artistic legacy and invigorating the efforts to safeguard and perpetuate cultural heritage.

Positioned as a Shanghai municipal-level cultural and creative industry park, Changyang Campus pools resources that highlight both cultural creativity and technological. It regularly hosts a diverse array of art exhibitions, cultural forums, and creative fairs, delivering a series of visual and artistic extravaganzas for white-collar workers, students, and residents within and around the park. In November 2024, the Dunhuang Contemporary Art Museum was inaugurated at Changyang Campus as the only Dunhuang-themed exhibition hall outside of Dunhuang.