Following the BLIA World Headquarters General Conference, BLIA South Island Chapter Elder Advisor Bernie SIEW and his wife visited the Dunhuang Caves in Gansu on 23rd October 2025. On behalf of the Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery New Zealand, they presented a special publication titled A Thousand Miles to Dunhuang, A Shared Promise Across Ten Thousand Miles. The edition was received by Dunhuang Academy expert Feng Zhiguo of the Cultural Relics Protection and Exhibition Centre and by Niu Xinghu, Exhibition Practice Advisor for the Dunhuang Art Exhibition.
Elder Advisor SIEW introduced that the FGY Art Gallery NZ held the Soaring through the Sky—Dunhuang Art Exhibition at Christchurch in November 2024 and at Auckland in February 2025. The exhibition drew great interest from local communities, organisations and media, creating a significant impact on the promotion of Chinese culture abroad.
To commemorate this meaningful event, Curator of FGY Art Gallery and Venerable Manshin, Abbess of FGS NZ compiled and published the special edition A Thousand Miles to Dunhuang, A Promise Across Ten Thousand Miles, allowing more people to appreciate the treasures of China’s cave-art heritage.
Experts FENG Zhiguo and NIU Xinghu said they were already aware of the Dunhuang exhibition held in New Zealand and praised Abbess Manshin for her dedication in curating the exhibition and producing this publication. They expressed their appreciation and said they will present it to their superiors.
Elder Advisor SIEW expressed his gratitude to the Temple Team for compiling and publishing this exhibition special edition, which made it possible to establish a meaningful connection with the Dunhuang Academy’s on-site staff despite the great distance.
