On June 15th, the academic journal Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites, supervised by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Gansu Province and sponsored by the Dunhuang Academy, was officially launched and issued, and its launching conference was held in Lanzhou. Ma Yuping, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee, Cheng Liang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, Li Changxun, a Second-level Inspector of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Gansu Province, as well as responsible comrades, experts and scholars from cultural and museum institutions, scientific research institutes, institutions of higher learning, and fraternal publishing units within the province attended the conference. The conference was presided over by Su Bomin, Director of the Dunhuang Academy and Editor-in-Chief of Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites.

Zhao Shengliang, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Dunhuang Academy, delivered a speech at the ceremony. He introduced that the launch and publication of the journal Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites is an important measure taken by the Dunhuang Academy to thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important expositions on cultural relics work. Based on the basic research and practical applications in the fields of grotto temples, earthen sites, digitalization of cultural relics, and scientific and technological archaeology at home and abroad, the journal publishes new theories, new methods, new technologies, and new achievements in the field of cultural heritage protection. It aims to advocate the combination of theory and practice, and promote the research and academic exchanges in cultural heritage protection. He stated that the establishment of the journal will adhere to the correct orientation of journal operation and public opinion guidance. Guided by scientific and technological innovation in cultural relics and taking the transformation of excellent scientific and technological achievements as an opportunity, it will actively promote the overall high-quality development of China's cultural relics undertakings, and make greater contributions to promoting the protection, research, and sustainable inheritance of grotto temples and earthen sites.

Cheng Liang stated in his speech that the establishment of the journal Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites comes at the right time and conforms to the requirements. It is a specific measure to implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the symposium in the Dunhuang Academy. It is also an important platform for occupying the main academic position and making comprehensive and authoritative voices. Moreover, it has set a precedent for a cultural and museum institution to simultaneously possess two weighty academic journals. The establishment of Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites will provide new impetus and play a new role in giving full play to the advantages of cultural relic resources of grottoes and earthen sites, protection technologies, and talent reserves, and accelerating the construction of a "model" and a "highland". It will also provide theoretical support for effectively improving the preservation status of cultural relics in our province.

In her speech, Ma Yuping put forward three important understandings on how to run and make good use of the journal Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites. First, it is necessary to earnestly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and focus on creating a model for the protection of world cultural heritage and a highland for Dunhuang studies. It is hoped that taking the successful establishment of Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites as an opportunity, the Dunhuang Academy will improve the scientific and technological level of the protection of grottoes and earthen sites as well as the level of protection research and application, and strive to master the right to speak in the field of protection and research of grottoes and earthen sites. Second, it is necessary to enhance cultural consciousness and contribute the strength of Dunhuang to the construction of a cultural power. It is hoped that with Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites as the carrier, the Dunhuang Academy will strive to build a scientific and technological system for the protection of cultural relics with Chinese characteristics, style and ethos, and make due contributions to achieving the goals of building a strong cultural province and a strong cultural country. Third, it is necessary to adhere to the dual-wheel drive and create world-class scientific and technological journals. It is hoped that the newly established Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites and the Dunhuang Research which has been founded for 39 years will combine liberal arts and sciences. By adhering to the dual-journal drive, efforts will be made to create world-class journals for cultural relics protection and academic exchanges, and realize the coordinated development of Dunhuang studies mainly focusing on humanities and social sciences and the research on cultural relics protection technologies mainly focusing on natural sciences.

Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites was applied for establishment by the Dunhuang Academy. Approved by the National Press and Publication Administration at the end of 2021, it was officially launched, published and issued in the first quarter of 2022. The journal's publishing unit is the Editorial Department of Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites. The domestic unified serial publication number of this journal is CN62—1222/K, the international standard serial number is 2097—1370, the domestic distribution code is 54—200, and the overseas distribution code is QR9548. It is a Chinese scientific and technological journal published quarterly. At present, Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites has columns such as the Conservation of Grotto Temples, the Conservation of Murals, the Conservation of Earthen Sites, Scientific Archaeology, Digitalization of Cultural Relics, Conservation Materials and Techniques, Theories of Cultural Heritage Conservation, and Cases of Conservation and Restoration. It covers the main fields such as the conservation research of grotto temples, murals, and earthen sites, as well as scientific archaeology and the digitalization of cultural relics. And the column settings will be adjusted in a timely manner according to the progress of cultural heritage conservation theories and the innovative development of cultural relics science and technology.

The inaugural issue of Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites mainly carried a total of 10 articles in the fields of grotto temple conservation, mural conservation, earthen site conservation, digitalization of cultural relics, and scientific archaeology. From basic theoretical research to conservation practices, it shared the new progress in the fields of grotto temples, earthen sites, etc. At the same time, to commemorate the first release of the inaugural issue, the editorial department of this journal carefully designed a set of 3 "blind box" style commemorative tickets for the inaugural issue. Representative mural contents from three different periods of the Western Wei Dynasty, the High Tang Dynasty, and the Five Dynasties in the Mogao Grottoes were selected to make the commemorative tickets for the inaugural issue, and each commemorative ticket corresponded to one copy of the inaugural issue.

The Dunhuang Academy is one of the earliest scientific research institutions in China engaged in the conservation of grotto temples, murals and earthen sites. The Academy has strong scientific research capabilities in the conservation of grotto temples, murals, earthen sites, the digitalization of cultural relics, and the theories of cultural heritage conservation, and holds a leading position in China. The technologies of cultural relics conservation have also been applied to the protection of immovable cultural relics in countries along the Belt and Road. In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has carried out in-depth cooperation in the fields of grotto temples and earthen sites with many domestic and foreign cultural relics conservation research institutions and institutions of higher learning. These cooperations include projects such as joint talent cultivation, conservation and utilization, and digital display, which have gained widespread influence. The correct scientific research orientation, strong scientific research capabilities, and extensive domestic and international influence have also supported the Academy's successful establishment of the journal Research on the Conservation of Cave Temples and Earthen Sites.

After the launching conference, leaders of the superior competent unit of the journal, the publishing unit of the journal, as well as experts and scholars attended the symposium on the establishment of the journal to provide guidance and support for the construction of the journal by the Dunhuang Academy.

(Text: DING Detian)