Ancient Dunhuang holds lessons for Hong Kong in staying relevant amid changing times
Past glory cannot translate into future success if Hong Kong neglects the values that form the cornerstone of the city, cultural expert says
The rise and fall of the ancient city of Dunhuang, Gansu, as an East-West cultural crossroads on the Silk Road can be a lesson to Hong Kong in holding fast to its own values so it may continue to thrive, a local expert on Chinese culture says.
Hongkongers had much to learn from the bygone cultures spanning over 10 centuries that Dunhuang was strategically positioned to host, said Lee Mei-yin, who has spearheaded studies and preservation work on Dunhuang in Hong Kong since 1994. Just like Hong Kong, it was "the best of all possible worlds".
Dunhuang's relevance for Hong Kong, she said, was in "the East-West exchange, the spirit of hard work, and practicality".
Those also formed the cornerstone of success in the city's rise from the last century.
But "if Hong Kong doesn't know how to appreciate its own values, it's not totally impossible we could end up like Dunhuang", marginalised by emerging trading posts and eventually dying out, she warned.
A Dunhuang enthusiast, she knows well the extraordinary collection of cultures that converged on the city over a millennium, including the Greco-Roman influence introduced during the Wei-Jin period (220-589), the Sasanian-Persian during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and the Islamic in the Song dynasty (960-1279).
