Fan Jinshi
Chinese Explorer of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves


Fan Jinshi


Location of Dunhuang, China


Dunhuang and the Silk Road (in blue); the Great Wall of China is Shown in Red


The Taklamakan Desert from Space


The Taklamakan Desert


Dunhuang Mogao Caves


Dunhuang Mogao Caves


Former Residential/Meditation Caves


Sculptures from Mogao Cave 328 (ca. 700 AD)


Interior of Cave 428 (ca. 570 AD)


Ceiling of Cave 428 (ca. 570 AD)


A "Guarding Warrior" Sculpture in Cave 55 (ca. 970 AD)


Sculpture of the Buddha in Cave 259 (5th Century AD)


Silk Embroidery in Library Cave (11th Century AD)


Interior of Cave 55 (ca. 1000 AD)


Pages from the 9th Century Diamond Sutra, the Oldest Known Dated Printed Book in the World; the Left Sheet is the Frontispiece; the Right (larger) Sheet is the First Section of the Book


Pile of Ancient Scrolls Found in Library Cave by Aurel Stein (1907)


Archaeologist Paul Pelliot Examining Manuscripts in Library Cave


Fragment from a Manuscript Copy of the Lotus Sutra, a Central Text of Mahayana Buddhism (Gold Lettering on Deep Blue Paper)


The Complete Dunhuang Star Atlas


Close-Up of North Circumpolar Region Map from the Dunhuang Star Map Atlas (ca. 700 AD). The Dunhuang Star Map Atlas is the World's Oldest Complete Preserved Star Atlas


The Bowman and North Circumpolar Region Maps from the Dunhuang Star Atlas


Maps 1 - 3 of the Dunhuang Star Atlas


Maps 4 - 6 of the Dunhuang Star Atlas


Maps 7 - 9 of the Dunhuang Star Atlas


Maps 10 - 12 of the Dunhuang Star Atlas


Almanac Dated 877 Showing the Animals of the Chinese "Zodiac"; a Feng Shui, or Geomantic Diagram; and a Lucky Charm


Buddhist Sutra in Chinese with Commentary in Red in Tibetan (from Cave 17)


A 15-Meter-Long Sleeping Buddha in Cave 158 (ca. 800 AD)


Close-Up of Sleeping Buddha in Cave 158


Bilingual Manuscript with a Buddhist Sutra in Chinese on One Side and a Rare Copy of the Tibetan Annals on the Other


Mural of Bodhisattvas


Section of Mural in Cave 156 Commemorating Victory of Zhang Yichao over the Tibetans


Cave


Fan Jinshi in October, 2011


Fan Jinshi