Visitors at the exhibition The Great Art of Dunhuang, from Sept 20 to Dec 20 at the China Art Museum in Shanghai. [Photo by Gao Erqiang for China Daily]

Six of the most representative caves — Cave No 2, 17, 45, 158, 285 and 320 — have life-size reproductions on exhibit, bringing an immersive experience of the Mogao Caves to visitors.

According to Zhang Yuanlin, deputy director of the Dunhuang Academy, the six caves were carefully selected to "encapsulate the concise history of Dunhuang art spanning almost a millennium". Some of the caves are closed to visitors at the Mogao Caves to protect the fragile artifacts.

"Thanks to digital technology, visitors coming to the reproduced caves can step in and have a close-up experience with the artworks, which is more than they can do by visiting the real caves."

A visitor to the exhibition, Pang Jian says, "we were not allowed to take photographs when we visited the Mogao Caves and could only follow the dim light from the flashlight the commentator carried … but in the reproduced caves, we have ample light to see all the intricate details of the paintings and statues and can take pictures too".