Bringing Millennium-Old Dunhuang Culture to Campus: “1-Square-Meter Museum” as a New Way of Cultural Continuity

On May 23, 2025, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM) brought its flagship educational program HITECH SPACE STATION to Jing’an Education College Affiliated School. Under the theme “Bringing Millennium-Old Dunhuang Culture to Campus: Passing on the Cultural Torch,” the museum announced the inauguration of the “My Home in Mogao Caves” Dunhuang Culture Touring Exhibition Shanghai and of the SSTM’s “1-Square-Meter Museum” initiative in Jing’an District.

This marks the debut of the “1-Square-Meter Museum” initiative in Jing’an District. Developed by the SSTM, this educational program fully leverages the museum’s role as a learning platform for all. Building upon museum collections and integrating primary/secondary school science curricula, it creates compact, micro, and curated thematic exhibitions within school spaces, while aggregating multidisciplinary resources to develop spin-off activities. Since its official launch in April 2024, the program was first piloted in Songjiang District and plans to deliver premium cultural-scientific resources to more regions throughout 2025.

The “My Home in Mogao Caves” Dunhuang Culture Touring Exhibition represents another milestone in the deepened strategic collaboration between the SSTM and Dunhuang Academy. Making its debut at Jing’an Education College Affiliated School, the exhibition offers a comprehensive miniaturized display of Dunhuang’s cultural and artistic treasures, enabling students to access this millennia-old civilization right within their campus. At the event, Ni Minjing presented honorary appointments to the “1-Square-Meter Museum” honorary curators, student curators, and docents.

To better disseminate the essence and value of Dunhuang culture and enhance the touring exhibition’s impact, the event featured special keynote lectures by senior experts from Dunhuang Academy: Their Devoted Guardianship of Dunhuang and The Radiant Art of Dunhuang Caves. Through elaboration on the construction history and mural aesthetics of Mogao Caves, these presentations illuminated the glorious chapter of cultural exchange along the Silk Road.