Artists from home and abroad can make online applications to leave their paintings permanently in newly-constructed caves, near to the world renowned Mogao Grottoesin Dunhuang, in northwestern Gansu Province, from 2008. Up to now, more than 20 caves have been cut open and five of them are left for artists to paint and carve, Chang Jiahong, painter and head of New Dunhuang Modern Grottoes Arts Center said at the China Sciences and Humanities Forum here on Wednesday. Artists, whose works are under the themes of "world peace" and "global environment", may log on www.newdunhuang.com to file their applications. They will be invited to live and work in the grotto after the applications get approved by a special evaluation group organized by the arts center, Chang told Xinhua. He said the works can either be a single painting or the carving for a whole cave. "All the living expenses will be covered by the arts center," he said. The new grottoes, which are built underground, are designed for arts creation. They will be free to visitors in the future, Chang said. Chang Jiahuang is the son of Chang Shuhong, the renowned specialist of Dunhuang studies, also known as "the protector of the Dunhuang caves". With donations and volunteers' help, Chang Jiahuang poured money earned by selling his paintings into the project to fulfill his father's last wish of building new caves in Dunhuang. He and the volunteers have been working in four caves since 1999 to duplicate buddhist painting masterpieces which were looted by foreign countries between 1906 and 1919. "The project is to boost modern arts through the traditional art form of grottoes," he said. The art objects of Dunhuang came to light in 1900 when a Taoist named Wang Yuanlu tumbled into one out of 492 caves at Mogao Grottoes that contained more than 50,000 sutras, records and paintings covering a period from the 4th to the 11th centuries. The Mogao Grottoes were included by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the World Heritage List in 1987.