The Impact of Dunhuang Intangible Cultural Heritage Colored Sculptures on the Outcome of Multi-ethnic Cultural Integration in Buddhist Art

Abstract

Dunhuang is one of the most important historical transportation hubs on the silk road. A major transport artery connecting east Asia, south Asia, west Asia, and Europe. There is a diverse population that lives and trades here, establishing the foundation for future diversification. The Dunhuang art is influenced by a wide variety of cultures and religions, but this paper will focus on the influences of Buddhism. Buddhist art was created with the purpose of pilgrimage and visual representations of Buddha. An ancient, local technique known as the Dunhuang color sculpture has been passed down from generations for thousands of years. Due to its malleability, this technique is stronger, more durable, and weather-resistant. The objective of the study is to find the impact of the Dunhuang intangible cultural heritage colored sculpture on the multi-Ethnic cultural integration of Buddhist art from four perspectives: (1) integration of multi-Ethnic in Dunhuang; (2) Buddhist sculpture representation; (3) colored sculpture; and (4) problems faced by intangible cultural heritage.