Eastern and Western Conservation Approaches reflected on Dunhuang Manuscripts

The Dunhuang manuscripts were discovered in a hidden cave in the northwest of China in 1900( Whitfield et al. 2000,34). These manuscripts were subsequently separated and dispersed around and in doing so have documented the cultural exchanges between the East and the West in the past and continue to do so in the present( Lee 2000). The manuscripts have been collected,treated,and researched by both European and Asian national institutions including countries such as Japan,France,Germany and Russia( IDP 2008). The holding institutions’ perspective on its ownership reflects the different attitudes of the national institutions to past events. For these reasons the manuscripts are an ideal collection to investigate a perceived difference between Eastern and Western approaches to conservation decisions.In order to achieve this aim this research focuses on the Dunhuang manuscripts that are currently held in two institutions: the British Library in London( BL) and the National Library of China in Beijing( NLC). These institutions provide a focus around the notion of an Eastern and Western perspective. They are selective representations and are studied with a recognition that the differences between the East and West are much more complicated. The research was undertaken in a period of four months,based on the existing published literature on the Dunhuang manuscripts and written materials on related conservation and theoretical approaches.Communications in the form of personal interviews and e-mail were also carried out with relevant members from both libraries.