A painted sculpture at Cave 45 of Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, Gansu province. [Photo by Wu Jian/For China Daily]

Photographer Wu Jian has been focusing his lens on Mogao Caves, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, for over four decades.

Immersing himself in the trove of murals and painted sculptures for such a long period, he keeps in mind that the murals and sculptures were inspired by living people of the time they were created. Therefore, taking pictures of them should be artistic representation with light and shadow rather than rigid recording.

Such concept is well-presented at a photo exhibition launched at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing on Friday, featuring 50 selected works of Wu.

He said at the exhibition's opening ceremony that it's a display of part of his works taken at more than 40 cultural heritage sites along the Silk Road, including Gansu's Jinta Temple, and the Yungang and Longmen grottoes, respectively in Shanxi and Henan provinces.