Giving shared history a future

Preventive conservation

The partnership also reflects a broader shift in conservation philosophy. Instead of focusing mainly on repairing damage after it occurs, researchers and heritage authorities are increasingly embracing preventive conservation — identifying risks, monitoring changes and intervening before deterioration becomes irreversible.

"Heritage conservation should not begin only after damage has occurred," Duishanalieva said, emphasizing the need for systematic registration, documentation, monitoring, and risk assessment.

Kyrgyzstan is working to strengthen its heritage registration and management system, including digital records containing coordinates, condition information, imagery, and historical documentation.

Tools such as 3D scanning, geographic information systems, satellite remote sensing, drones, and digital archives can help document sites and track changes over time.

But technology alone is not enough, Duishanalieva stressed.

"Technology itself cannot protect cultural heritage," she said. "It can only play its full role when it is supported by professional management, qualified specialists and a sound legal framework."

The two sides are also developing guidelines for protecting historical and cultural monuments in Kyrgyzstan, adapting conservation principles to local conditions.

The cooperation is not a one-way transfer of "Dunhuang experience".

"Cultural heritage conservation itself is a process of mutual learning," Zhang said.

Since 2017, exchanges between the two sides have included more than 200 visits, alongside joint investigations, academic meetings and specialist training.

In July, a 40-day advanced training program on Silk Road heritage conservation brought together 25 young professionals from 19 institutions across China and five Central Asian countries. The program combined classroom teaching, laboratory training, fieldwork, and academic discussions.

For Zhang, who also mentored participants, developing a new generation of professionals is essential to sustaining conservation cooperation.

"Cultivating heritage conservation professionals can help improve the capacity for investigation, research, conservation, and management," he said.

Samybekova said the shortage of qualified specialists remained a challenge for Kyrgyzstan.

"We are actively sending our specialists to training courses and seminars," she said.

"Our goal is to train professionals and build a sustainable pool of specialists in the field of cultural heritage."

The China-Kyrgyzstan partnership is also part of a broader effort to build a regional network for Silk Road heritage conservation.

During the September seminar, the Dunhuang Academy signed cooperation memorandums with Kazakhstan's National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve "Azret Sultan" and Tajik State University of Law, Business and Politics.

Participants also worked toward a "Dunhuang Initiative" to promote a China-Central Asia Belt and Road Alliance for scientific and technological innovation in cultural heritage conservation.

For Guo, the goal is to build a stable, open network in which countries along the ancient route can share expertise, research results and professional resources.

"Cultural heritage connects history with the present and links people across countries," Guo said.

"We hope to use the joint laboratory as a platform to deepen cooperation with Central Asian countries in research, conservation, talent development, and the sharing of results."

Yang Mingze contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at huyumeng@chinadaily.com.cn