開啟敦煌文學研究新時代的盛會 - 學術史視野下的敦煌文學研究座談會=A Grand Occasion Marking the Beginning of a New Era in Dunhuang Literary Research - On the 1982 Symposium on Dunhuang Literary Research
Since the revival of Dunhuang studies in the late 1970s, the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute has been on the forefront of research into the art of the Dunhuang grottoes, while several universities throughout China were recognized as the main centers of research on Dunhuang historical documents. However, the strength of research focused on Dunhuang literature remained varied over different institutions and there was no recognized leader in this area of academia. In order to promote Dunhuang literary research, the Propaganda Department of Gansu Province took the initiative and supported the Gansu Academy of Social Sciences in hosting a “Symposium on Dunhuang Literary Research” in 1982, which has proven to be a watershed moment for the discipline. The symposium was not only a concerted response to the adage that “Dunhuang is in China but Dun- huang studies is in Japan,” but also a product of the vigorous development of Dunhuang studies. The symposium represented the highest level of Dunhuang literary research at the time and played a very important role in uniting the researchers of Dunhuang literature, in building a research team in Gansu Province dedicated to the study of Dunhuang literature, and in promoting the establishment of national academic groups within China.
