Wang Yuanlu (simplified Chinese: 王圆箓; traditional Chinese: 王圓籙; pinyin: Wáng Yuánlù; c. 1849 – 1931) was a Taoist priest and abbot of the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, Gansu during the early 20th century.
[3] The cave complex contained 50,000 manuscripts detailing medieval China, the Silk Roads, and Buddhism.
There, he found a yet-undiscovered cache of thousands of ancient manuscripts, many of which relate to early Chinese Buddhism.
[6] He would also later sell numerous manuscripts to archaeologist Aurel Stein, who took a largely random selection of the works.
Because of his involvement in the discovery and sale of the Dunhuang manuscripts to Westerners for a fraction of their value (£220 in 1907), Wang is both "revered and reviled.