Digital Dunhuang helps spread fine traditional Chinese culture

The Dunhuang Academy has established a complete technological system for the digital collection, processing, storage and display of the cultural relics at the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Dunhuang city, northwest China’s Gansu Province.

A visitor takes photos of exhibits at an exhibition themed on Dunhuang culture at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

It has also acquired a massive amount of digital resources, bringing about the evolution and growth of fine traditional Chinese culture in new and creative ways.

Using the digital resources provided by “Digital Dunhuang,” a digital platform established by the academy for the purpose of exhibiting the site, its cultural heritage can be showcased outside the caves, according to Yu Tianxiu, director of the academy’s cultural relics digitalization institute.

Yu explained that the academy has made digital images of all the cultural relics related to Dunhuang, including the caves, murals, and painted sculptures, through high-precision photography.

The academy has also developed digital films with the help of these digital images. In 2014, a digital film showcasing seven famous caves at the Mogao Grottoes was shown on a domed screen at a digital display center for the cultural heritage site. As a “Digital Dunhuang” product, the film gave visitors an immersive viewing experience of the site’s cultural relics.

An Huili, who has been collecting and processing images at the site for 15 years, said she was excited to see that high-definition images in the film were able to show murals and painted sculptures in the finest detail.

“We also developed another film on the site,” said 85-year-old Fan Jinshi, honorary director of the academy, explaining that the second phase of the digital display center is expected to be completed next year. “The second phase will showcase Dunhuang culture through application scenarios of the latest technologies, allowing tourists to better understand Dunhuang,” Fan added.

Photo shows Jia Yao, an official virtual cartoon figure of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang city, northwest China’s Gansu Province. (Photo courtesy of the Dunhuang Academy)

Using the “Digital Dunhuang” digital repository, online visitors across the world can enjoy high-definition images and a panoramic tour of 30 famous caves inside the Mogao Grottoes.

Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy, said the academy aims to permanently preserve and utilize digital files of murals and painted sculptures by continuously raising its capacity for pursuing scientific and technological innovation.

By the end of 2022, the academy had completed the digital collection of 289 caves, the image processing of 178 caves, and 3D reconstruction of 45 painted sculptures, 140 caves and seven large ruins, while offering a panoramic tour program for 162 caves.

In addition, the Mogao Grottoes have an official virtual cartoon mascot named Jia Yao, who has dynamic facial expressions and can act as a docent, host livestreaming sessions, and dance, helping tourists from both home and abroad understand Dunhuang culture, according to Su.

At the end of 2022, a cultural heritage digital platform supported by blockchain technology to share digital renderings of the Mogao Grottoes was launched. Over 6,500 high-definition items on the platform, including murals preserved in grottoes such as the Mogao Grottoes, are being shared with the world.

By leveraging internet platforms and technologies, “Digital Dunhuang” is spreading the splendour of Chinese culture across the world, said Su.