Touching the past: AI and cultural memory in Xi'an

After experiencing the Tang Dynasty (618-907) through AI and immersive technology, Alicia Relinque Eleta, Spanish sinologist and professor of Chinese literature at the University of Granada, continued her journey in Xi'an by looking at history from another angle: not as a world to enter, but as something fragile to study, reconstruct and protect.

At Xi'an Museum, technology allowed her to come closer to ancient artifacts than a traditional display would normally permit. Wearing an XR headset, Relinque could enlarge digital relics, examine fine details and move around objects that, in reality, must remain carefully protected. A small artifact could become large enough to reveal its surface, texture and craftsmanship; a scroll painting could be explored beyond the limits of a museum case.

The journey then moved from digital viewing to reconstruction. At Xi'an Polytechnic University, researchers demonstrated how AI is being used to study ancient Chinese clothing. By drawing on archaeological discoveries, murals and historical documents, AI models can help restore the colors, patterns and structures of garments from the past. For clothing too fragile to be unfolded by hand, X-ray scanning and AI-assisted modeling can create a virtual reconstruction, helping researchers understand how these garments were made, worn and preserved through time.

Relinque's final stop was Xi'an City Wall, where digital systems are helping safeguard one of the city's most important landmarks. At the wall's digital command center, cameras, sensors and AI monitoring track the 13.74-kilometer structure, identifying risks such as water accumulation, settlement and changes in cracks. The aim is to spot problems early, so conservation teams can protect the structure with as little intervention as possible.

For Relinque, the journey showed that technology is not only changing how people imagine the past, but also how they care for what remains of it. As a translator, she works with language to carry meaning across time and culture. In Xi'an, she saw AI and digital reconstruction doing something similar, bringing hidden details to light and helping keep cultural memory alive.

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Spanish sinologist experiences Tang Dynasty through AI in Xi'an