Photo shows the Notre-Dame Cathedrla after a devastating fire. Photo courtesy to world.people.com.cn

The whole world watched the Notre Dame de Paris engulfed in flames, with no time for mourning, but hope in the restoration of the 850-year-old historic landmarks has risen thanks to various donations pouring in, as well as some unexpected help from technology.

Laser-scanning model of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Photo courtesy to Andrew Tallon

Pivotal in this reconstruction effort could be laser scanning data collected by Andrew Tallon, an architecture historian at Vassar College in the US, and his assistant Paul Blaer, which captured the cathedral in all its true dimensions. The video game Assassin’s Creed is giving away the Paris-set game for free so people can admire this monumental architecture.

Photo coutesy to Unisoft

Modern technology presents a significant role in ancient architecture preservation, which not only can revive their former glory, but have a precious digital treasure for future generations.

China has been continuously contributing to build digital museums and expanding online access to hem so people from all walks of lives can appreciate and protect ancient architectures.

Photo courtesy to Tencent Games

A digitized map of the Palace Museum, the world’s largest palace complex, was released on International Museum Day on May 18, 2018, by China’s national cultural heritage administration and Chinese tech company Baidu. The two bodies created a virtual landscape where visitors can “walk” through every corner of the open areas in the complex.

In addition, Chinese tech giant Tencent lends a hand in reviving cultural heritage with technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. People are able to interact with characters in paintings with its VR helmet. Also, Tencent Games and WeChat, Tencent’s multi-purpose social media app, created a series of game apps for young people to learn more about history while also having fun.