Yu Tianxiu, director of the academy's cultural relics digitalization institute, walks with his predecessor, Wu Jian. [Photo/China Daily]

In the first episode, Li Bo, the 58-year-old son of top fresco art restorer Li Yunhe, leads his apprentice in a challenging experiment using his father's method: to entirely remove a layer of one of the frescoes, as the under layer is itself a fresco from an earlier dynasty.

The final tale depicts the internet era's impact on Dunhuang. Yu Tianxiu, head of the academy's institute of cultural relics digitalization, and his team employ advanced technologies, like artificial intelligence, to digitally record the details of the Mogao Caves.

For director Li Zhenya, Dunhuang is like an encyclopedia that draws scholars and researchers from a variety of fields to find their specialist subjects.

"Aside from Buddhist scriptures, many records reveal different aspects of ancient society — for instance, a student's homework and a landlord's contract have been found in the Cangjing (storing scriptures) Cave," adds Li, revealing that he is currently in discussions about producing a second season of the documentary.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn