British sinologist Frances Wood: I was only ‘accidental custodian’ of China’s Dunhuang relics

Renowned British sinologist Frances Wood served as head of the Chinese section at the British Library for around 30 years, leading efforts to conserve and digitize some 14,000 Dunhuang manuscripts held in the United Kingdom. Her work earned her recognition as a custodian of this vast body of Chinese heritage.

Speaking at a Vision China event hosted by China Daily on Thursday in London, Wood said that responsibility as something she had come to purely by chance. When it came to restoring, preserving and publishing the manuscripts, she said, the voices that mattered most were those of Chinese scholars. Through years of working side by side, colleagues became lifelong friends.

Reporter: Zheng Wanyin