On Sept 7, famous Chinese archaeologist (考古学家) Fan Jinshi, 85, was awarded by UNESCO for her contribution (贡献) to the protection of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.

Called the “daughter of Dunhuang”, her story with the caves started 60 years ago. In 1963, Fan, then a 25-year-old Peking University graduate, had the chance to work at the Mogao Caves, a place she had wanted to explore for a long time.

“Seeing Dunhuang for the first time was breathtaking. But only when truly staying here did I realize that inside the caves is a world of divine (神圣的) beauty while outside is a land of blowing sand and yellow earth,” Fan told Gansu Daily.

Back in those days, the Mogao Caves were almost completely cut off from the world. Fan and her coworkers had to live in mud houses and drink salty water. They stayed inside the caves to do research, copy murals (壁画), and do whatever they could to protect and restore them.

In 2011, after 40 years of hard work, a report on 10 Mogao Caves compiled (编写) by Fan’s team was finally published. It was known as China’s first professional report on cave archaeology, reported Gansu Daily.

As time passed, Fan found a serious problem. The increasing number of tourists visiting Dunhuang might harm the caves, causing the murals inside to fade. A solution needed to be found to preserve (保护) Dunhuang’s heritage.

In the late 1980s, Fan stumbled upon computer technology by chance. She realized that this might preserve the Mogao Caves forever. After over 30 years of exploration, the Dunhuang Academy built a digital database to protect cultural relics (文物) there, allowing Dunhuang’s art to live forever and to step out of the caves to meet the world.

“In my whole life, I’ve only done one thing: protect and promote the world cultural heritage of the Mogao Caves,” she told People’s Daily. “My heart belongs to Dunhuang.”

Wherever we go, we are surrounded by history. Across the globe, cultural heritage is passed down through the generations. It is in the buildings and structures around us. It is in the arts and artifacts (手工艺品) we treasure. It lives in the languages we speak and the stories we tell. But today, it is under attack as never before. Not only are the damages of time threatening our cultural heritage, but conflicts, climate change, globalization and tourism are all exacting a heavy price. Technology is now the most important weapon in the battle. Here’s how technology is preserving our cultural heritage.

As you can imagine, creating the replicas (复制品) by 2D images is extremely time-consuming. Increasingly, artificial intelligence(AI)algorithms (算法) allow millions of images to be stored in a matter of hours. AI will also make restoration and preservation of existing cultural heritage far easier and better than previous methods.

Virtual reality (VR) technology will play a leading role in preserving our cultural heritage in the coming years. Many of the most important sites and architecture are easily damaged. Human interaction with these locations is doing a great deal of harm. Wastes pile up everywhere, causing serious problems. As more cultural heritage sites and objects are digitally mapped and recorded, VR technology will increasingly become the way that people experience them. We’ll all finally be able to walk through places, look at (and touch) artifacts and works of art without ever seeing them with our own eyes.

Finally, our cultural heritage will be preserved by technology. Efforts in research, data sharing and project work will help promote and preserve the cultural heritage of countries all across the world.

NPC deputy from Gansu to advance suggestions for cultural relics protection

Xinhua

Updated: March 2, 2022

Su Bomin, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, also dean of Dunhuang Academy, has been working for three decades in the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu province.

Since the start of his service as NPC deputy, Su has put forward a series of suggestions on the protection of cultural relics (遗迹). During this year’s “two sessions”, the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, apart from working on the disciplinary construction of cultural relics protection, Su will also advance suggestions on facilitating the establishment of a key state research laboratory for cultural relics protection, aiming to merge the protection of cultural relics into the system of scientific and technological innovation and development.

“We regard the country’s emphasis on cultural relics protection as a great opportunity for our work,” said Su, “I hope cultural relics protection can be improved with the help of science and technology and the traditional Chinese culture will be better promoted.”

Su Bomin (R) checks the restoration of murals in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu province.