Images of Chang’an city in Dunhuang murals dating from the Han to the Tang dynasty have been found depicting the following scenes: 1) Zhang Qian exploring the Western Regions on a diplomatic mission and; 2) the mysterious stories of Buddhist master Tan Yan, both of which are located in Mogao cave 323 and date from the Early Tang; 3) an illustration of the preface to the Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra in High Tang caves 217 and 103 at the Mogao Grottoes, and; 4) a picture of alifang(residential area or neighborhood) in an illustration of the Buddhavatamsaka Sutra in Mogao cave 85 from the Late Tang and Five Dynasties. These visual materials from the Han and Tang dynasties are the only visual material illustrating Chang’an city preserved in the form of colored wall paintings available today and thus are of significant historical and academic value. By carefully observing and interpreting the visual history present in Dunhuang murals we can find traces of the reality of Chang’an city as reflected through a period of highly developed medieval painting, seeing through the fragmental records of Dunhuang a magnificent international metropolis as it was during the Han and Tang dynasties.Currently, only some tiny scenes of the grand city have been thoroughly understood, but they preliminarily display the personality and grandeur of Chang’an from when it was the capital of China, and also highlight the value and potential of Dunhuang murals research.
