As the headstream of Chinese popular novels, Dunhuang popular novels have epoch-making significance, proving that Vernacular stories of Song and Yuan periods stem from Dunhuang popular novel.

• 敦煌通俗小说是中国古代通俗小说的滥觞，在小说史上具有开创性意义，它们以实物形态雄辩地证明了宋元时代话本小说的繁荣并非一种突发现象，而是有其源头活水。