[Photo Provided to China Daily]

"Police in Dunhuang helped retrieve the painting after 17 days' investigation," Chang says.

He chose the location because almost all the good spots are included in the Mogao Grottoes protection area, an idea his parents came up with.

In a transcription of a conversation between Chang and his son that the father provided, the son said he had never thought it was his father who paid for the project, rather than the project paying him.

Chang Jiahuang has opened 20 caves over the years, and several years ago media quoted him as saying that if the project made no progress he would abandon it and seal the caves with two trucks of concrete.

The plan for Cave 1 is for it to hold facsimiles of precious works from the Mogao Grottoes that were looted and taken overseas. In Cave 2 the aim is to restore facsimiles of the best works from the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) to their original colors.

"Artists from all over the world are welcome to create works in two themes: environmental protection and peace," he says.