Paintings which are based on murals in the caves along the ancient Silk Road are on display at the “From Dunhuang to Gaochang” exhibition at KK Mall in Luohu District.

Organized by the Tais Cheonbuldong Art Gallery and Cultural Development Co. in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, the exhibition recreates a U-shape corridor based on the No. 9 cave of the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves in the suburb of Turpan in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves is a complex of Buddhist cave grottos built around the fifth century by the ancient Gaochang Kingdom on the Flaming Mountains. From 1904 to 1913, most of the murals there were cut off and stolen by foreign explorers. Some are now housed in museums in 14 countries, including Germany, Russia, Japan, Britain and South Korea.

According to Yu Yizhou, a partner of Tais Cheonbuldong, the reproduced mural paintings were based on photos taken by explorers in 1912 and the original robbed murals now housed in 12 museums in nine countries. “It took us nearly 10 years to finish the reproduction and visitors now can see how the murals look like 1,500 years ago because we used the same natural mineral coloring, so our reproduced paintings can also be preserved for thousands of years,” said Yu.

Dates: Until Feb. 15, 2021

Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (Mon.-Thur. & Sun.), 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. (Fri.-Sat.)

Tickets: 118 yuan per person (Mon.-Fri.), 139 yuan per person (Mon.-Sun.), 168 yuan (1 adult + 1 kid, Mon.-Fri.), 188 yuan (1 adult + 1 kid, Mon.-Sun.)

Venue: 4/F, KK Mall, Luohu District (罗湖区KK Mall四楼)

Metro: Line 1 or 2 to Grand Theater Station (大剧院站), Exit B(Cao Zhen)