An ongoing exhibition at the National Museum of China features a selection of reproductions of Dunhuang murals by the late Zhang Daqian, the maestro of traditional Chinese ink-brush painting. Zhang lived in Dunhuang for nearly three years in the early 1940s, copying murals at the Mogao and Yulin grottoes. [PHOTO BY JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY]

Knowing of Chang Shuhong's decision to stay and work on the preservation of Dunhuang, Zhang told Chang what awaited would be like "serving a life sentence", but he encouraged him to persist and fulfill his duty nonetheless.

She says Zhang also left Chang Shuhong reams of documents recording his studies of cave art over the previous three years, which the Dunhuang Research Academy later based its research data on.

In the following years, Zhang exhibited 276 of his mural reproductions in Gansu's provincial capital Lanzhou, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, and his home province of Sichuan, as well as internationally in cities such as Tokyo and Paris. 

These exhibitions proved a great success and helped to boost Zhang's fame and popularity. The audience were astounded by the mystery and brilliance of Dunhuang art, just as Zhang was when he first entered the caves in the spring of 1941.