Safeguarding Mogao Caves: ICBC-AXA Life’s commitment to sand control
Print Edition
ICBC-AXA Assurance Co., Ltd. held a public welfare event titled “Legacy of Time, Commitment to Protection” at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.
The company, also known as ICBC-AXA Life, donated funds to the China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation Research Foundation to support the construction of straw checkerboard barriers on the cave rooftops to protect the ancient site from wind erosion and sand damage.
Straw checkerboards, also known as grass grids, are an effective method of sand control. Made from woven straw or reed stems and arranged into one-square-meter grids, they are laid across sandy terrain to help stabilize shifting sands, improve soil structure, and encourage vegetation growth.
Wang Dufu, chairman of ICBC-AXA Life, remarked at the donation ceremony: “Our company is a China-France joint venture. Supporting the preservation of the Mogao Caves is a spiritual legacy that goes beyond time and borders. It’s also an important part of building a financial culture with Chinese characteristics.”
Located in northwest China’s Gansu Province, Dunhuang has long served as a strategic hub along the ancient Silk Road. The Mogao Caves, first carved in 366 AD, are considered the world’s largest, most richly decorated repository of Buddhist art. The site is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, the caves have long struggled against the region’s raging wind and sand. Located next to the Kumtag Desert, windblown sand can enter the caves, threatening the precious murals and sculptures inside. To protect these treasures, generations of conservationists have spent years to establish a scientific and systematic approach to sand control.
Straw checkerboards are a key component of that system, explained Qiu Fei, a worker of the Dunhuang Academy’s desert control station. “From the 1940s to the 1960s, sand accumulation in the cave area reached 3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters per year. Today, the volume of drifting sand has been reduced by approximately 85 percent,” Qiu said.
ICBC-AXA Life’s recent donation not only helps protect the Mogao Caves from wind and sand erosion but also promotes meaningful engagement between the World Cultural Heritage site and nearby rural communities.
In support of China’s rural revitalization initiative, local villagers have been hired to participate in sand control efforts. The work not only provides them with a stable income but also allows them to take part in preserving cultural heritage, giving them a strong sense of pride and accomplishment.
“ICBC-AXA Life protects the health and wealth of families, while we protect the Dunhuang Grottoes,” said Yang Xiuqing, chairman of the China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation Research Foundation. “I hope we can work more closely in the future to pass on Dunhuang’s legacy and let traditional culture thrive in the new era.”
After the donation ceremony, participants, including company representatives, conservation experts, and media members, visited the cave rooftops and joined in the hands-on effort of laying straw grids.
“This is my first visit to the Mogao Caves. I am deeply grateful for the dedication of Dunhuang’s conservationists in preserving these incredible murals and sculptures,” said Pierre Laur, CFO of AXA Tianping, a property insurance company in China. “I am honored to contribute in any way I can to help protect this priceless heritage.”
This is not ICBC-AXA Life’s first effort to safeguard the cultural treasures of Dunhuang. In 2021, the company funded the construction of protective facilities inside Cave 328, a notable cave dating back to the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). Founded as a joint venture by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, France’s AXA Group, and China Minmetals Corp, ICBC-AXA Life has followed a people-centered development approach in the past 12 years. The company has cultivated a financial culture with Chinese characteristics and actively fulfilled its social responsibilities in areas such as health protection, retirement finance, support for the real economy, and rural revitalization.
It has been honored by major media as a “Top Cultural Heritage Protection Insurance Institution” and an “Outstanding Social Responsibility Insurance Company.”
“ICBC-AXA Life will continue to draw inspiration from the Mogao spirit – perseverance, dedication, responsibility, and innovation,” said chairman Wang. “We remain committed to safeguarding both the wellbeing of the people and this World Heritage Site.” He added that the company will work closely with the Dunhuang Academy, the China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation Research Foundation, and ICBC Private Banking in the future, to deeply explore and promote the cultural values of the Mogao Caves, giving them new meaning for our times and contributing to the construction of a culturally strong China.
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