The Dunhuang Academy has proposed the Alliance for the Digital Reconstruction of Overseas Dunhuang Cultural Heritage, aiming to digitally restore ancient Dunhuang artifacts that have been taken overseas. This proposal was announced at the 2021 Dunhuang Forum held on Sept 24 to 25, 2021, in Dunhuang, Gansu province.

"This is a vast undertaking that cannot be completed by one institution alone," said Luo Huaqing, deputy director of the Dunhuang Academy.

Since the 1900 discovery of the Library Cave at Mogao Caves, over 50,000 artifacts have been dispersed globally. While scholars have documented their significance, their physical separation remains unchanged. To address this, the Dunhuang Academy has launched a 10-year, 2.5-billion-yuan ($346-million) initiative called "Digital Dunhuang", marking the first Chinese-led effort to digitally repatriate lost relics.

The project will employ negotiation, authorized collection, crowd-sourcing, and cooperative imaging to secure materials. However, direct engagement with international collectors has been limited due to logistical challenges. Institutions like the National Library of China and Zhejiang University have contributed digitized records, aiding efforts to reconstruct a comprehensive database.

With over 30 years of experience in digital preservation, the Dunhuang Academy previously launched the Digital Dunhuang database in 2016, granting global access to high-resolution images of 30 caves. By harnessing advanced technology, the alliance aims to build an accessible resource platform, allowing scholars worldwide to explore Dunhuang's rich history and revive its lost cultural heritage.