The city of Datong in north China's Shanxi Province is known for its rich resources of coal mines. But it is also a city teeming with cultural wealth. Datong is promoting the city's artistic roots by promoting its image as a "capital of sculpture culture".
Datong is historically rich in cultural relics, especially in sculptural works left from ancient times. The Yungang Grottoes is a Buddhist cave built in Datong in the Northern Wei Dynasty about 1,600 years ago. The multifarious Buddhist statues inside different caves have made the site a treasure house for sculptural art.
A project named "New Yungang Plan" was launched on Sunday to comprehensively document the sculptural resources in the Grottoes. It plans to establish a data bank to systematically compile the cultural information. The project also intends to build a special website, issue a picture album, and shoot some film and television works to promote Yungang's image.
Beyond preserving the city's ancient relics, the project is also advancing the development of modern sculptural art. The city has already invited a group of cultural buffs to design some characteristic city sculptures.
The New Yungang Project also plans to organize an international sculpture festival and other activities, including contests and forums related to the creative industry.
(CCTV.com June 23, 2009)
