XI'AN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Simply tap the touch screen to take a photo, and discover which Terracotta Warrior you resemble based on facial data extracted from the statues at the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum.
This is one of the interactive programs at the 2025 World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitalization Forum held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Xi'an, a city with over 3,100 years of history in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, home to the Terracotta Warriors.
The event attracted approximately 800 participants from over 50 countries and regions, as well as nine international organizations such as UNESCO, World Intellectual Property Organization, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and International Council of Museums. They shared insights on the role of digital technology and global collaboration in the preservation of cultural heritage.
Time-honored monuments, manuscripts, and artifacts are increasingly at risk from the passage of time, natural disasters and even human conflict. In light of these threats, digitalization plays an important role in both preserving these invaluable treasures and sharing them with a global audience.
"Digital technology is reshaping how we preserve and pass on cultural heritage," said Liu Yuzhu, head of the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation. "Cutting-edge technologies help us conserve artifacts, predict potential risks, and offer immersive virtual experiences for visitors."
China, home to more than 767,000 immovable cultural relics and 60 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has made significant strides in digital preservation. For example, in Shaanxi, a province rich in cultural relics, over 8 million cultural relics are digitally cataloged, with more than 300,000 permanently stored in digital form.
At the forum, nearly 100 digital projects dedicated to cultural heritage preservation from China, Germany, the United States, Britain and Italy were showcased.
One of the displays was a six-legged robot dog developed by China's tech giant Lenovo. Weighing 30 kg, the robot can conduct inspection within Yingxian Pagoda in north China's Shanxi Province, the tallest and oldest wooden multi-story structure in the world.
"Operating in a non-contact manner, it is equipped with 3D modeling cameras to collect and analyze real-time data on cracks and peeling paint on the pagoda's interior, without causing any damage," explained Feng Weidong, general manager of Lenovo's Northwest China branch.
Restoration efforts are increasingly data-driven, with digital models providing the scientific basis for conservation strategies. Through the Internet of Things (IoT), sensor networks, and data analysis platforms, critical indicators such as microenvironment conditions and structural stability of cultural heritage sites can be monitored continuously, enabling swift notifications of potential risks.
Digital technologies are also transforming storytelling through virtual experiences and digital replicas. At the exhibition of the forum, a holographic display showcased the intricate decorations and inscription written in pictographic script on the bottom interior of He Zun, a rare bronze ritual wine vessel dating to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771 BC), in which lies the earliest known written record of the term "Zhongguo," the Chinese characters for "China."
Participants emphasized the need for both local and global efforts to address challenges such as technology and inclusivity, including bridging the digital divide between countries while respecting diverse traditions and histories.
Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi, director general of the Department of National Museums, Sri Lanka, called for establishing more collaborative platforms for sharing knowledge and technology, alongside common digital standards to ensure that cultural data remains accessible for future generations.
"Heritage is global, and so must be our efforts to protect it," she said.
(Source: Xinhua)
Editor: Wang Shasha
