Technology empowers mural conservation at Kizil Caves in NW China's Xinjiang

Photo shows the statue of Kumarajiva at the Kizil Caves in Baicheng county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Nadila)

The Kizil Caves are located southeast of Baicheng county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They bore witness to the flourishing Buddhist culture that thrived in Xinjiang from the third to the 13th century.

In 1961, the Kizil Caves were included among China’s major cultural heritage sites under state-level protection. In 2014, the caves were also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a component of the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor".

Over the centuries, the murals of the Kizil Caves have endured natural erosion, smoke damage, and vandalism. In recent years, digital technology has opened new avenues for the preservation and presentation of the grottoes.

Zhao Li, head of the Digital Technology and Documentation Research Institute under the Kucha Research Academy, said the institute has completed two phases of digital preservation projects, carrying out high-precision scanning and high-definition image collection for more than 20 caves while gradually advancing digital restoration work.

A staff member restores a mural at the Kizil Caves in Baicheng county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (File photo)

Researchers are now leveraging artificial intelligence to support mural restoration. AI excels at reconstructing repetitive decorative patterns, providing efficient, accurate, and consistent results, though it still faces limitations in reconstructing human figures and preserving the murals' historical texture. This can make the artwork appear overly restored and strip away traces of natural aging.

To address this, the team has adopted a hybrid approach that combines AI-assisted restoration with manual refinement to improve efficiency while preserving the murals' 1000-year-old character.