王圆箓【英】

Wang Yuanlu

定义

湖北麻城人，也称王道士。约光绪二十三年（1897）至敦煌莫高窟。光绪二十六年（一说二十五年）五月二十五日半夜，相与破壁探察，果见复室，积满写卷，印本，画幡，铜佛等，即后来蜚声中外之莫高窟藏经洞。王道士在外人引诱下，监守自盗，非法出卖国家文物。

A native of Macheng, Hubei Province, also known as Wang Daoshi (Wang the Taoist Priest). In about 1897 he came to the Mogao Grottoes. At midnight on May 25th, 1900 (some sources say 1899), Wang and his colleagues broke through the wall of Cave 17, and found a secret chamber which was filled with ancient manuscripts, printed books, paintings, and copper Buddha statues. Later the chamber came to be known as the Library Cave. Wang was lured to illegally sell numerous manuscripts that should have been kept in China.