ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dunhuang Manichaean texts

Okay kiddo, let me try to explain the Dunhuang Manichaean texts to you!

So, a really long time ago (we're talking almost a thousand years!), there was a religion called Manichaeism that was popular in some parts of the world, including China. This religion had some special books that they believed were important to their beliefs, and many people wrote these books by hand on paper.

Now, in a place called Dunhuang in China, there was a big cave where many people stored important things, including some of these hand-written Manichaean books. Over time, the people who wrote these books died, and the religion of Manichaeism stopped being popular.

But, many years later, some people found this cave in Dunhuang and were very excited to discover these old Manichaean books! They studied them and learned more about the religion.

Today, people still study these Dunhuang Manichaean texts to learn about this old religion and what it believed. It's like finding a treasure chest of old, wise stories from a time long ago!