Representatives from the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, the Dunhuang Academy, and major sponsors of the exhibition are introduced at the press conference at the Getty Center. (Cultural News Photo)

Organized by the Getty Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, the Dunhuang Academy, and the Dunhuang Foundation, "Cave Temple of Dunhuang (Tonko in Japanese pronunciation)" exhibition celebrates the over 25 years of collaboration between the Getty Conservation Institute and the Dunhuang Academy to conserve and protect the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Dunhuang is located in the Gobi Desert of northwest China.

The exhibition will feature rare objects found at the famous Mogao Grottoes (Bakkokutsu in Japanese pronunciation) site, along with full-scale replicas of three cave temples. Mogao Grottoes are an ancient Silk Road sites dating from the 4th to 14th centuries. There are nearly 500 decorated Buddhist cave temples that survive today.

The exhibition will include paintings on silk, textiles, drawings, and manuscripts on loan from the British Museum, the British Library, the Musee Guimet, and the Bibliotheque nationale of France - objects that have rarely.

Among the objects to be exhibited is the Diamond Sutra (a sacred Mahayana Buddhist text) that dates to the year 868. Coming to the Getty on a loan agreed in principle with the British Library, the Diamond Sutra is the world's oldest dated complete printed book.

The Getty will present a slate of public programs, performances, lectures and tours related to the exhibition. The Getty has also partnered with UCLA to offer a major, international scholarly symposium in May 2016. Details will be announced later this year.

For more information about the exhibition, visit www.getty.edu/cavetemples