Conservators and restorers have made continuous innovations in science and technology applications over the past few years in China to show cultural relics in a new light, literally, and help traditional culture shine with a greater vitality. With modern technology and equipment preserving the true colors of cultural heritage, now people can better appreciate history.

A 3D-printed copy of a green-faced Terracotta Warrior from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) at the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (Xi’an) recently attracted a large and appreciative audience at an exhibition in Chongqing, Southwest China.

The exhibition, Crafts First: Technology and Equipment for Cultural Relics Preservation, kicked off on Sept 27 and showcases technologies and equipment used in the prevention of damage, protection, research and management, as well as the use of cultural relics. It is said to be the first of its kind in the country. The exhibition will last three months.

The original Terracotta Warrior, on which the copy on show is based, was unearthed from pit No 2 in the Qinshihuang Mausoleum. It is the only one with a green face and is highly valuable for archaeological research, according to deputy curator (馆长) of the museum Zhou Ping.

Zhou said that to showcase the green-faced Terracotta Warrior — half-kneeling and painted in green and red — to the public, the museum came up with the idea of promoting a copy by using achievements in archaeology, materials science, arts and crafts, as well as new digitalization technology, such as spectrum analysis, high-definition scanning and 3D printing.

“I feel very proud that all the technologies and equipment are domestically developed,” said the curator. “I hope more and more high-tech enterprises are attracted to the field of cultural relics, which we believe is a real blue ocean market.”

In a world where technology is king, hardly does a day go by without the launch of some “world-changing” product in the field of alternate reality. 【小题1】 . These include VR, AR, MR, XR and the list goes on.

Many people confuse augmented reality (AR) with virtual reality (VR) and understandably so. Both AR and VR offer alternate or altered reality experiences and as a result, it is easy for users to be attracted and wonder what is real and what is not. 【小题2】. Both aim to provide an enhanced or enriched experience to users, most commonly used in the gaming scene, but also increasingly used in other areas.

However, AR and VR can be quite different in many ways. The main difference lies in the mode of delivery. Simply put, VR “transports” the user to another world, by “replacing” the real world with a virtual substitute most commonly done through helmets or goggles to completely immerse the gamer in a different reality. 【小题3】

AR, however, does not change the entire landscape of what users see. 【小题4】. While AR may be less immersive than VR, the success of games which use AR is proof that it can be just as or even more entertaining than VR games. Moreover, since AR does not require the use of goggles or helmets, it is more accessible.

VR and AR are both powerful technologies which are still relatively new to many consumers. 【小题5】. They can completely change how we use our electronic devices in the future, but whether one will edge out the other is anyone’s guess.

Plant-based leathers have the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry. Now, MycoWorks, a California-based biotech company, has created a new eco-friendly leather coming from fungi (真菌). The company turns mycelium-threads from the root structure of mushrooms into a material that imitates the look and feel of animal-based leather.

“It’s the first time that a company has been able to produce a plant product which is matching or even going beyond the quality and durability (经久耐用) of a natural one. It’s a super achievement,” said Patrick Thomas, former Hermés CEO and a MycoWorks board of directors member.

While the material is mushroom-based, MycoWorks creates its rigid, patented material using engineered mycelium cells. As the cells grow into 3-D structures, they become closely connected, eventually forming a tough material, named Fine Mycelium, which has the strength, durability, and performance of traditional leather, according to the MycoWorks website.

Fine Mycelium is carbon-neutral (碳中和的), can be grown to order and provides a sustainable option for producers seeking durable products made from long-lasting material. It can be grown in trays in a short amount of time. These trays can be designed to fit a designer’s exact specifications, getting rid of any waste. After the Fine Mycelium is harvested, it is processed to look and feel like animal leather’s unique grain.

The vegan leather has already made a high fashion debut (首次亮相). In March 2021, luxury fashion brand Hermés debuted their Victoria bag, which featured MycoWork’s Fine Mycelium material. Other companies, including Adidas with their Stan Smith Mylo shoes and Lululemon with their mushroom-based yoga products, have also jumped on the bandwagon.

The use of plant-based leather comes during a time when scientists are trying to come up with solutions for the climate crisis and animal agriculture. Producing animal leather causes greater damage to the environment than any other type of fabric. Livestock (家畜) alone make up nearly 15 percent of the globe’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have been trained as consumers to think in terms of a straight line whereby we buy something, use it, and throw it away. Fungi can affect thinking about fashion on lots of levels. This is about material innovation, but it’s also about the culture of making endless new things, and what we can learn from thinking in terms of nature instead,” says biologist Merlin Sheldrake.