An Introduction to the Dunhuang Research

I. History of the journal

The Dunhuang Research is the journal of Dunhuang Academy started in the early 1980s. The first and second trial issues were published in 1981 and 1982 respectively, and the inaugural issue was published in 1983. In 1986, Dunhuang Research was published as a quarterly journal, and in 2002 it was changed to a bimonthly publication. By the first half of 2025, there are 210 formal issues and 12 special issues that have been published, including more than 4200 papers related to the Dunhuang Studies that cover all the disciplines of Dunhuang Studies research. All in all, the journal has exerted far-reaching influence not only on Dunhuang Studies research, but also on the research fields such as Buddhist archaeology, art history research, research of history, ancient Chinese language, ancient folklore studies, ancient science and technology, music and dance research, and cultural relics conservation research in China.

II. Aim of the Journal

Based on Dunhuang with a global vision, the Dunhuang Research puts itself in the frontier of Dunhuang Studies research and related disciplines, aims to promote the development of Dunhuang Studies researchworldwide,and publishes the latest achievements, materials andinformation at home and abroad in the spirit of a hundred schools of thought contending.

III. Main columns

The “Cave Archaeology and Art” column mainly focuses on Dunhuang caves in addition to the cave archaeology and art research achievements at home and aboard.

The “Dunhuang Documents” column main focuses on the documents discovered in the Dunhuang Library Cave in addition to the research results of the documents unearthed along the Silk Road.The“Dunhuang History and Geography” column mainly publicizes theresearch results about the history and geography of Dunhuang and the regions along the Silk Road.

The “Dunhuang Language and Literature” column mainly publicizes the research results about the linguistic issues in Dunhuang documents.

The “Bamboo Slips Research” column mainly involves new achievements obtainedin the study of bamboo slips.

In addition, the journal will add columns such as the“History of Dunhuang Studies”,“Dunhuang Nationalities and Religions”,“Dunhuang Folklores”,“Dunhuang Music and Dance”, “Dunhuang Calligraphy”, and “Ancient Science and Technology” according to contributions so as tointroducethe latest research achievements of different fields in time.

IV. Honors

In 1990, Dunhuang Research journal was granted the “Excellent Social Science Journal Award in Gansu Province” by Gansu Provincial Press and Publication Bureau.

In 1994, Dunhuang Research was elected among the “First-class Journals in Gansu Province” in the first social science journal rating in Gansu Province.

In 1995, Dunhuang Research was granted the “National Excellent Social Science Academic Theory Journal Award” by the National Press and Publication Administration.

In 1997, Dunhuang Research was elected among the first “Top 100 Key Social Science Journals in China” by the National Press and Publication Administration.

In 1999, Dunhuang Research was listed as one of the “First-class Famous Journals in Gansu Province” by Gansu Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department and Gansu Provincial Press and Publication Bureau, granted the first “China Journal Award” by the General Administration of Press and Publication of China, listed among the “Second National Top 100 Key Social Science Journals in China”, and once again won the “Award of National Excellent Social Science Journals”.

In 2002, Dunhuang Research was listed into the Chinese Journal Matrix for“High Reputation and High Academic Level” by the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

In 2005, Dunhuang Research won the “Top 100 Key Journals Award of the Third National Journal Awards” by the General Administration of Press and Publication of China.

In 2007, Dunhuang Research was granted the Second “Top Ten Northern Journals Award" by the Press and Publication Bureaus of the Ten Northern Provinces.

In 2008, Dunhuang Research was elected among the “Branding Journals of Gansu Province” by Gansu Provincial Press and Publication Bureau.

In 2012, Dunhuang Research became one of the “Journals Supported by National Social Science Foundation”.

In 2013, Dunhuang Research  was selected among the“2013 Outstanding Academic Journals with International Influence in China".

In 2015, Dunhuang Research was recommended as “one of the Top 100 Newspapers and Magazines in China” by the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, selected as one of the “50 Most Popular Chinese Journals among Overseas Institutions in 2015” and among the “2015 Outstanding Academic Journals with International Influence in China”.

In 2016, Dunhuang Research won the title of “China’s Most Beautiful Journal” by the organizing committee of the China (Wuhan) Journal Trade Fair and listed among the first Gansu’s “Top Ten Journals (Social Science)” by Gansu Provincial Press and Publication Bureau.

In 2017, Dunhuang Research was recommended among the “Top 100 Newspapers and Magazines in China”for the third time by the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

In 2019, Dunhuang Research was selected among the “Exhibition of Excellent Journals Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China” organized by the Chinese Journal Association

In 2020, Dunhuang Research was included in the “China Science and Technology Journal Full-Text Database”.

In 2021, Dunhuang Research was selected into the 2020 edition of the Chinese Core Journal of Peking University (namely the 9th edition of the Chinese Core Journal Overview), won the Journal Award of the 5th China Publishing Government Award by National Press and Publishing Administration, listed among the “2021 Outstanding Academic Journals with International Influence in China|”, listed among the “Most Popular Journal from 2016 to 2020" by the National Philosophy and Social Sciences Literature Center, selected as a source journal of the Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI, 2021-2022), won the Excellent Cover Design Award and Excellent Layout Design Award at the first “Founder Electronics” Cup· China Journal Design Art Week organized by the China Journal Association, and selected among the“2021 Exhibition of China’s Excellent Journals” organized by the China Journal Association.

In 2022, Dunhuang Research was listed among the “most popular journals between 2016-2021” by the National Philosophy and Social Sciences Literature Center.

In 2023, Dunhuang Research was assessed excellent among the Journals Supported by National Social Science Foundation, and its column “Cave Archaeology and Art” was selected into the List of Key Column Construction in the First Batch of Philosophy and Social Science Journals by the Central Propaganda Department. In this year, Dunhuang Research also continued to be selected among the Chinese Core Journals by Peking University (2023), the source journals of Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (2023), the Core Journals of AMI Comprehensive Evaluation of Chinese Humanities and Social Science, and the Reference Materials for Decision-Making Departments of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.

In 2024, Dunhuang Research was continued to be selected among the important reprint source journals for photocopying newspaper materials (2024 edition), the 2024 Core Journal Catalogue of Chinese Science and Technology (Volume on Social Science), and 2024 RCCSE China’s Core Academic Journals (7th edition). It was also selected among the “2024 BIBF Exhibition of Excellent Journals in China” by the China Journal Association and granted the award of “Journals with Academic Influential Progress 2024” by VIP. In the same year, Dunhuang Research also won the third prize in Gansu Division of the 3rd National News and Publishing Industry Design Skills Competition, received the journal verification and social benefit evaluation for the year 2023, and was assessed excellent by Gansu Provincial Propaganda Department.

V. Editorial Committee

Editor-in- Chief: FAN Jinshi

Executive Editor-in-Chief: ZHAO Shengliang

Members of the Editorial Committee (in order of surname strokes)

MA Qiang, MA De, WANG Dong, WANG Xudong, WANG Zhipeng, WANG Huimin, FANG Guangchang, LIU Jinbao, XU Jianping, SUN Xiaofeng, SU Bomin,

LI Jingjie, YANG Fuxue, ZHANG Xiaogang, ZHANG Yuanlin, ZHANG Xiantang, LUO Huaqing, ZHAO Shengliang, ZHAO Xiaoxing, RONG Xinjiang, 

CHAI Jianhong, GUO Qinglin, LIANG Weiying, FAN Jinshi, DAI Chunyang.

VI. Contact

Mailing Address: Editorial Department of the Dunhuang Research, No. 522 Nanbinhe Eastern Road, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China

Telephone: 0931-8866013

Email-box: dhyj1983@163.com