China News Service, Lanzhou, November 12 (Lv Xianzhi) When the music sounded, the actors of the world's first cave-like immersive experience drama "Dunhuang" appeared on the stage dressed in gorgeous Dunhuang music and dance costumes. The smart patterns on the clothes and the restored ancient music shapes were not only stunning visual symbols on the stage, but also original achievements protected by copyright.
Recently, Gansu Performing Arts Group Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd. has continued to deepen its copyright protection work, achieving full coverage of copyright registration for all categories of its cultural and creative products, and using solid measures to protect Dunhuang cultural IP.
The flying postures, music and dance shapes, clothing patterns and ancient musical instruments in the murals of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes have accumulated over thousands of years and formed distinctive cultural resources. However, in the process of cultural heritage moving to the stage and market, counterfeiting of cultural creations, misappropriation of patterns, and random misappropriation of original designs have always been the pain points of cultural tourism IP operations. Clear ownership and protection of rights and interests are the basis for the continuous development of creations and the long-term inheritance of IP.
"The Joy of Dunhuang" is carefully created and staged by the Gansu Performing Arts Group and is known as the companion piece to "Flowers on the Silk Road". The theater replicates the unique shapes of the caves containing scriptures, Buddhist niches, lotus terraces, and caissons in the grottoes. It combines the music and dance ceremony activated from the murals to create a cave-like immersive experience that can be seen, heard, wandered, and interacted with.
The picture shows a still from the world's first cave-like immersive experience drama "Dunhuang". (File photo) Photo provided by the Propaganda Department of Dunhuang Municipal Party Committee
Since its premiere in June 2023, the play has performed more than 2,080 times, received more than 1 million audiences, and was selected into the second batch of the National Tourism Performing Arts List. Relying on this performing arts IP, Gansu Performing Arts Group Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd. established the concept of copyright first at the beginning of creation, and simultaneously sorted out the ownership of the works during the design and finalization stages, so that cultural and creative development and copyright protection were deployed and promoted at the same time.
According to statistics, the company currently has a total of 896 cultural and creative products, all of which have completed copyright registration. The product categories cover stage costumes, restored ancient musical instruments, Dunhuang paper-cuts, mural derivative works, etc., transforming the Dunhuang music and dance elements on the stage into cultural and creative assets that can be implemented and protected.
In addition to the core repertoire, the company carries out full-factor protection from three levels: copyright, trademark rights, and patent rights. It has registered and applied for more than 40 trademarks and registered more than 900 copyrights. The rights of theater buildings, study courses, and tourist routes have also been confirmed, forming a complete IP protection chain.
"From stage performance costumes to cultural and creative sketches, every original design derived from Dunhuang music and dance is the result of our careful polishing. Copyright registration is not a formality, but a 'protective coat' for Dunhuang cultural IP." According to the relevant person in charge of Gansu Performing Arts Group Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd.
The picture shows the completion of copyright registration for Tianwang Pipa audio cultural and creative products. (File photo) Photo provided by the Propaganda Department of Dunhuang Municipal Party Committee
Currently, the protection of Dunhuang cultural IP is forming a joint effort from many parties. During the 2026 International Copyright Forum held in Dunhuang, copyright protection, original rights confirmation and IP authorization in the digital intelligence era became the focus of the topic; the Mogao Grottoes Cultural Heritage Intellectual Property Judicial Protection Cooperation Office has also been unveiled, aiming to build a full-chain protection system of "source protection - process supervision - infringement accountability".
In the next step, the local government will continue to declare copyrights for new cultural and creative works. While exploring the cultural connotation of Dunhuang and developing high-quality cultural and creative products, it will also strengthen copyright management and tell the story of Dunhuang well, so that the thousand-year-old Dunhuang culture can be rejuvenated under standardized and orderly protection for a long time.
