Dunhuang Studies

In 1900, over 70,000 ancient documents and artifacts enshrined in the Library Cave in Dunhuang happened to be discovered. Due to historical conditions, the relics were scattered across the globe, giving rise to a significant global academic discipline known as Dunhuang Studies. Chen Yinke (1890-1969), a prominent Chinese historian, philosopher, and scholar, was first to use the term "Dunhuang Studies" in print in the preface of Dunhuang jieyu lu (An Analytical List of the Tun-Huang Manuscripts in the National Library of Peiping), and this realm is still recognized in academic circles to this day.

Dunhuang Studies initially focused on research of manuscripts excavated from the Library Cave, but it has since expanded to include the study of Dunhuang grottoes and the history and culture of Dunhuang. Today, the broader concept of Dunhuang Studies encompasses all academic research centered on ancient Dunhuang as well as modern technological conservation efforts for Dunhuang heritage. It has evolved into a comprehensive field of study that integrates the humanities, sciences, and engineering.

Due to similar locations in northwestern China and shared significance as nodes along the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang Studies is often positioned alongside Turfan Studies, developed from materials excavated in the Turfan region. They are collectively referred to as "Dunhuang-Turfan Studies". This combined field is rich in content and plays an extremely important role in both Chinese cultural history and the history of cultural exchanges worldwide. Its significance can be summarized in several aspects: First, it provides first-hand archival materials that correct inaccuracies in official historical records and supplements existing details in the records. Second, it fills gaps in the history of Chinese literature, linguistics, the history of science and technology as well as that of medicine, with copies of historical texts that have been lost over time. Third, the wealth of non-Han Chinese literature enriches the historical record of ethnic interactions and exchanges between China and foreign countries. Fourth, the preservation of abundant artworks offers vivid visual documentation for the study of Chinese art history and the history of Silk Road exchanges.

敦煌學

1900年，收存于敦煌藏經洞中的7萬余件古代文獻文物被意外發現，因為歷史原因，這些藏經洞出土品流散于全世界各地，并由此產生了一門世界性的顯學——敦煌學。中國學者陳寅恪在《敦煌劫余錄·序》首次使用“敦煌學”一詞，并被學界沿用至今。

敦煌學最初是以藏經洞出土文獻為研究對象的一門學問，之后擴展到敦煌石窟乃至敦煌歷史文化等相關研究領域。今天，廣義上的敦煌學包括了以古代敦煌為中心的一切學術研究和敦煌遺產的現代科技保護工作，成為一種容納了文、理、工的綜合性研究。

由于敦煌和吐魯番位于中國西北，同屬古代絲綢之路的重鎮，因此基于吐魯番地區出土資料發展起來的吐魯番學，經常會與敦煌學合稱為“敦煌吐魯番學”。敦煌吐魯番學內容豐富，其研究對中國文化史和世界文化交流史有極其重要的作用。主要表現在如下幾個方面：第一，以其出土的第一手檔案資料，糾正正史記載的疏誤、補充正史記錄的細節。第二，以其保存的歷史上失傳的典籍，填補中國文學史、語言學、科技史、醫藥學史記錄的多處空白。第三，因其大量非漢文文獻，豐富了民族交往和中外交流的歷史記錄。第四，以其保存的豐富藝術品，為中國藝術史和絲綢之路交流史提供最形象的圖像史料。