CHINA will hold the first Chang Shana Design Award in 2021 to promote the application of Dunhuang art in design, it was announced Jan. 21.

Chang Shana, an outstanding designer and educator in China, was just 13 when she first arrived in Dunhuang. Born in France, she was the youngest member of a conservation and research team at the Mogao Caves led by her father Chang Shuhong (1904-1994), a noted painter who had returned from Paris to become a founding director of the Dunhuang Academy.

Chang has spent her entire life carrying on her father’s commitment to Dunhuang. After conducting extensive research into the variety of patterns found on the murals, she applied these classic motifs to her own, modern designs. She is also a pioneer in Dunhuang design research and application.

In the hope that more designers will understand and use the Dunhuang art patterns appropriately, the competition is also meant to spread Dunhuang culture and promote cultural exchanges along with the Belt and Road Initiative.

The application will end March 31, and submission of entries will end June 30. A total of eight people will be awarded, with a maximum prize of 50,000 yuan (US$7,740). (SD-Agencies)