斯坦因（Aurel Stein）摄 · Public domain
Late Qing and early Republic · c. 1849–1931
Wang Yuanlu
王圆箓 · China
Discoverer of the Library Cave at Mogao
A Taoist priest who in the late 19th century made himself caretaker of the Mogao Caves and raised money to restore the Buddha statues. On 25 June 1900 he discovered the Library Cave, sealed behind a wall. He later sold large numbers of manuscripts, paintings and textiles to foreign explorers such as Stein and Pelliot to pay for repairs, and opinions of him remain sharply divided.
Where the story happened
Los lugares que dejó
Historia · Mogao Caves, Dunhuang
A wisp of smoke that led to the Library Cave
The Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu made himself caretaker of the Mogao Caves at the end of the 19th century. On 25 June 1900, following the drift of a wisp of incense smoke, he discovered a sealed cave behind the wall of a passage, piled with scrolls, paintings and textiles sealed away in the 11th century — the Library Cave. In 1907 the British explorer Aurel Stein came and, in exchange for a 'donation for repairs', took away a large number of scrolls and paintings; in 1908 the Frenchman Paul Pelliot removed thousands more. These artefacts remain scattered across museums around the world.
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