American sinologist dedicates career to China's Dunhuang culture

American researcher Neil Schmid first visited the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, in 1987, sparking a deep fascination with the site.

In 2018, he became the Dunhuang Academy's first full-time foreign researcher. In his view, Dunhuang serves as an outstanding example of multicultural integration and a platform through which Chinese and Asian cultures can be understood by the rest of the world.

Schmid has decided to continue studying and promoting Dunhuang culture, regarding it as his mission.