The use of organic colorants has been reported on the wall paintings at Mogao Grottoes near Dunhuang, China based on UV-photomicrographs of paint cross-sections and on some preliminary analyses. Identification of specific colorants is a challenge because of the low concentrations of organic colorants and most knowledge is based on European and American biological sources. A thorough literature search identified 19 best hit groups of Chinese biological sources. These plant and insect sources were acquired and reference lake pigments prepared. Wall-painting mock-ups were prepared from local Dunhuang clay with a ground layer and seven inorganic pigment stripes. Glazes made from the prepared reference organic pigments were applied to the mock-ups. The mock-ups are critical to the development of a strategy for identifying organic pigments in Asian wall-paintings that will maximize sample information with minimal invasiveness. Mogao Grottoes wall painting colorants will be determined using this strategy.