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With their vast repository of Buddhist art, the world-famous Mogao Caves in Western China have been acclaimed as an "Encyclopaedia of the Middle Ages". While the Caves are well over 1,000 years old, the very latest digital technology is now giving them a remarkable new life – here in Hong Kong. 

Between now and 22 October  at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, “Digital Dunhuang – Tales of Heaven and Earth”, the latest top-class exhibition in The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series, highlights the Dunhuang Academy's achievements in digitising the precious artefacts of the grottoes and their cultural relics, using cutting-edge multimedia technology to allow local residents and visitors to study the Dunhuang culture and art up close.

Funded by the Club’s Charities Trust, the showcase features 76 exhibits including a full scale replica of Cave 285, built during the Western Wei period and considered the most wonderful of the Mogao Caves. There are also virtual recreations of Caves 45 and 254, and a huge digitised mural depicting Wutai Mountain in Cave 61, together with precious artefacts and archives, to offer visitors an overview of the history and art of Dunhuang. Some of them are being presented in Hong Kong for the first time.

Adding further appeal to the three-month exhibition are various interactive multimedia and audio-video programmes, produced from high-fidelity cave scanning images provided by the Dunhuang Academy. These multimedia applications give visitors an opportunity to view Dunhuang art in detail and gain a better understanding of life among ordinary people in the Buddhist world, as portrayed on the murals.

The Club's donation is also supporting a range of educational and public programmes to draw the attention of visitors from different age groups. For example, Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Hong Kong Repertory Theatre will jointly organise a first-ever outreach drama programme for students to learn about the artistic, historical and cultural aspects of the grottoes using an innovative approach. The students will also be given an introduction to the Mogao Caves through a virtual reality programme developed by the Museum to arouse their interest in visiting the exhibition. For more exhibition details, please visit http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/en_US/web/hm/exhibitions/data/exid252.html.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series is a partnership between the Club's Charities Trust and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Launched in 2012, it supports two to three major exhibitions each year, all of which are complemented by educational programmes. Previous exhibitions including Eternal Life – Exploring Ancient Egypt, Hall of Mental Cultivation of The Palace Museum – Imperial Residence of Eight Emperors and Longevity and Virtues: Birthday Celebrations of the Qing Emperors and Empress Dowagers. The next is Treasures of Time, jointly organised by The Palace Museum and London Science Museum, to be held at the Hong Kong Science Museum at the end of 2018.