本书由著名敦煌学研究专家柴剑虹和刘进宝共同撰写，是一本讲述敦煌历史溯源及其文化艺术发展的普及读物。该书以图文并茂的形式从敦煌历史溯源、莫高窟的营建、藏经洞与敦煌遗书、敦煌宝藏的流失、敦煌壁画和彩塑艺术等几个方面，深入浅出地进行解读，全面展现敦煌1650余年的历史。全书配有45幅珍贵历史照片及高清精美壁画彩塑图片，另附一张由中国国家图书馆敦煌资料中心提供的《敦煌文献收藏单位一览表》，堪称一本集知识性、实用性、艺术性和时代性于一体的敦煌文化简明读本。

Dunhuang
Precious CulturaL Heritage of Mankind
Ⅰ. How Dunhuang Got Its Name
1.1 Migration of the Tocharian People
1.2 Legends of Mount Sanwei and Queen of the West
1.3 Ode to Cetestiat 5teed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
Ⅱ. The Humanistic Environment of Dunhuang
2.1 Frontier Estab!.ishment and Its Maintenance
2.2 Farming of the Immigrants
2.3 The Earliest World Trade Convention
2.4 Temples, Monasteries and School Education
Ⅲ. Construction of the Mogao Caves 03?
3.1 Cave Building at Mogao
3.2 Function of the Caves
3.3 Structure of the Caves
Ⅳ. Library Cave and Dunhuang Manuscripts
4.1 Discovery of the Library Cave
4.2 The Largest Collection of Religious Manuscripts
4.3 The LostTang Epic The Lament of the Lady of Qin
4.4 Various Economic Documents
4.5 Manuscripts of Shuyi
4.6 Manuscripts of Topography and Folk Customs
Ⅴ. Loss of Dunhuang Treasures
5.1 Merits and Faults of Wang the Daoist Priest
5.2 Foreign Robbers Coming One after Another
5.3 Shameful Looting after the Robbery
5.4 Collections of Dunhuang Cultural Relics
Ⅵ. Murals in the Mogao Caves
6.1 Contents of the Murals at Mogao
6.2Apsaras of Dunhuang
6.3 Stylistic Features of the Dunhuang Murals
Ⅶ. Painted Scutptures of Dunhuang
7.1 Types of the Painted ScuLpture
7.2 Stylistic Features of the Painted Sculpture
Ⅷ. Dunhuang Is in China but Dunhuang
Studies Is in the World
8.1 History of Dunhuang Studies in China
8.2 Internationalism Characteristic of Dunhuang Studies
A List of Institutions with the Collection
of Dunhuang Documents