世界百位名人谈世博——樊锦诗

我自幼生长在上海，我是上海的女儿。景色迷人的黄浦江，鳞次栉比的高楼大厦，繁华热闹的商店公司，以及各种小吃零食等儿时印象，无一不深藏在我的脑海中。上海这座现代化大都会的城市文明，也给我以潜移默化的影响熏陶以及良好的学校教育，这些宝贵的成长经历开阔了我的视野，影响了我的思维，使我终身受益匪浅。

上海是我的故乡，我始终十分关注上海的变化与发展。当得知上海成功申办2010年世博会时，我倍感欣喜，这是上海代表中国这样一个文明古国，在面向未来的世界现代文明舞台上的一次亮相。

与此同时，我也想到了我脚下的这片土地——敦煌。

世博会是世界文明的际会，它面向未来，生机勃勃；而敦煌是历史文明的积淀，它守护过往，孕育久远。一个是象征当下的文明，一个是代表过去的文明，这两者都是人类文明的组成部分，它们虽然朝向不同，却都体现着人类文明共同的价值追求：创造、参与和共享。世博会在这三方面的表现自不待言。敦煌作为历史上牵起丝绸之路两端的“咽喉之地”，创造过东西方文明交流互通的奇迹。如今，敦煌已是人类共享的世界文化遗产，并向现代人提出了传承与守护的课题。我始终相信，人类能够站在今天眺望未来，正是因为我们脚下有深厚的历史文明的奠基，因为我们心中有生生不息的文化的精神家园。因此，作为上海女儿、作为敦煌女儿，作为世界遗产敦煌莫高窟的守护者，我对本届世博会有着一份特殊的情愫。

根据计划，在本次世博会上，我们将以“敦煌与隋唐城市文明”为主题，围绕丝绸之路与城市发展，集中展示敦煌艺术，全面参与这场盛会。届时，丝绸之路风情、隋唐盛世图景和敦煌艺术都将在此呈现它的古老风韵和现代活力，从而将历史与现实、艺术与生活，以及敦煌与上海紧密地联系起来。

作为上海的女儿，我期待，通过即将到来的世博会，能通过上海全景式展示和平发展的新中国取得的最新成就，向世界介绍中国的古老文明和文化艺术，展示城市文化，将上海世博会办成世界文明史上的空前盛典。作为古文明的守护者，我坚信，上海世博会必将为我们这个古老的国度催生出创新的激情，推进中国现代化的进程，进而为我们照亮人类共同繁荣进步的未来。

到时候，我一定会回上海，看世博。我也真挚地邀请和欢迎更多的游客和市民走近、了解敦煌，接受古老文明的洗礼，使到中国去看敦煌莫高窟成为走进2010上海世博会的一项重要内容。

William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, once praised the World Expo as follows: "The World Expo is the timekeeper of progress. It records the world's advancement, stimulates the energy, enterprise, and intellect of people, and promotes development of human genius."

Over the past 150 years, the World Expo has kept a kaleidoscopic eye on the progress of modern civilization. It was at the World Expo that new inventions like steam engines, telephones, computers and robots made their debut, that new lifestyles and public facilities like holiday villages, clubs, theme parks, supermarkets and vending machines gained their popularity, and that driving new forces such as the automobile era, the communication revolution and the information technology age appeared one after another. All these phenomena have propelled human society in its relentless march into the future.

I was overwhelmed with joy at the news about Shanghai's successful bid to host World Expo 2010 Shanghai. This will be a show of Shanghai on behalf of China, a nation with a long history of civilization, showcasing the future orientation of modern world civilizations.

It all reminds me of the place where I am standing - Dunhuang.

The World Expo is a pageant of global civilization and its future.

Civilization

Dunhuang, meanwhile, is a repository of our historical civilization that preserves the past and signifies eras gone by. They respectively symbolize the civilization of the future and the civilization of the past. Despite their differences, they both embody the common goals of human civilization - creation, participation and sharing. So far as these three aspects are concerned, the role of the World Expo is self-evident. Dunhuang is a historical wonder. It created a communication link between Eastern and Western civilizations as a linchpin of the Silk Road. Today, as world cultural heritage is shared by mankind, Dunhuang has preserved for modern societies their inheritance. I have always believed that mankind's ability to look to the future comes from the solid foundations of its historical past.

My attention is riveted on World Expo 2010 Shanghai because I still consider myself a daughter of Shanghai, even though I have been working in Dunhuang for 46 years. I have watched the progress of World Expo 2010 Shanghai. When I was told that it would become the largest-ever World Expo in terms of number of international participants, I was overwhelmed with pride.

The Gansu Pavilion at this World Expo will carry the theme of the Silk Road and urban development. As the earliest cradle of urban civilization, Dunhuang will exhibit its ancient charms and modern vigor during the event.

As a guardian of an ancient civilization, I strongly believe that World Expo 2010 Shanghai will elicit the enthusiasm of innovation for our ancient nation and advance our course of modernization. It will also trigger ideological scrutiny that may help us discern our future path and face the challenges and opportunities for the future of our entire human race.

I will certainly be back to Shanghai to visit the World Expo.