Behind the Scenes of ‘A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang’

This is an in-person event hosted by the International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology (ICCHA), which will take place in Room 612, 6th floor of the UCL Institute of Archaeology. This seminar is free and open to all. All welcome! 

Abstract 

The exhibition, 'A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang,' currently on display at the British Library, showcases over 50 manuscripts, printed documents and pictorial works. Many of those items, originating from the 'Library Cave' in the cave complex of Mogao and on public display for the first time, present real-life stories from the Silk Roads, offering an intimate glimpse into the cultural, religious and civic life of Dunhuang, a vital resting place along the trading routes in northwest China during the first millennium of the Common Era.  We are delighted to welcome the exhibition's curators, Dr Mélodie Doumy and Kitty Liu, who will share the behind-the-scenes story of bringing this exhibition to life. 

About the Speakers

Mélodie Doumy is the Lead Curator of Chinese collections (Stein and Hoernle) and Manager of the International Dunhuang Programme at the British Library. She is the lead curator of the exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang. Her research focuses on the history of these remarkable collections, the materiality of the Dunhuang manuscripts, and the social and religious practices associated with them. Before joining the British Library, Mélodie served as assistant curator for the Gilbert Collection at the V&A.

Kitty Liu joined the British Library as project curator for the exhibition A Silk Road Oasis: Life in Ancient Dunhuang. With a lifelong passion for museums and cultural heritage, Kitty specialises in the preservation and study of ancient Chinese architecture. She began her career as a heritage consultant before spending five years curating exhibitions and managing collections in museum settings, honing her skills in presenting cultural treasures to the public.

Future ICCHA events - save the dates

• 30 January 2025: Dr Yu-Ping Luk (British Museum) The British Museum exhibition ‘Silk Roads’: A spotlight on Tang-dynasty China
• 27 February 2025: Prof Maurizio Marinelli (UCL Institute for Global Prosperity) History, Memory, and Heritage Value in Tianjin as a River-City
• 12 March 2025: Prof Francesca Bray (Professor Emerita of Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh) ICCHA Annual Public Lecture