It is our important trials and practices to carry out the digitization of cultural relics, the “Digital Dunhuang” project and the digitization of the “Silk Road” cultural heritage.
Dunhuang is an ancient cultural city with a long history. Since the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-25 AD), the Chinese civilization with the Confucian culture as its core has been transmitted over a long period in Duhuang with profound cultural deposits. Moreover, the continuous prosperity of the Silk Road in Han (206 BC-220 AD) and Tang (618 AD-907 AD) dynasties has also offered Dunhuang a opportunity for cultural fusion with foreign countries. The Mogao Grottoes were firstly built in AD 366 with a history of more than 1000 years, preserving the artistic achievements of all dynasties. The Dunhuang culture reflects the historical course of cultural fusion and exchanges among diverse civilizations, as well as cultural confidence of the Chinese nation and its spirits of keeping pace with the times and striving for innovation.
Nowadays, when entering into the new era with new receivers, we have long been pondering on how does the Dunhuang culture embrace the society and adapt to the times with new coordinates. While the digitization of cultural relics, the “Digital Dunhuang” project and the digitization of the Silk Road cultural heritage are our trails and practices over this theme. In particular, the Mogao Grottoes has suspended operations since this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China. But we still tried to let people to appreciate and experience Dunuang’s arts at home. By virtue of digital resources, the Dunhuang Academy has launched a series of online exhibitions including the mini app of “Cloud Tour of Dunhuang”, fine “Digital Dunhuang” routes and digital innovation of Dunhuang culture as well as “fine exhibitions” to promote the digitization of cultural relics and contribute new ways of carrying forward the Dunhuang culture in the new era.
In February, the mini app of “Cloud Tour of Dunhuang” on WeChat was also launched as the Dunhuang Academy has planned since the latter half of 2019. After suspending the operation to the public, the Dubhuang Academy has promptly organized the staff to ensure that people at home could tour a virtual Dunhuan during the Chinese New Year and learn about mural stories and ancestor’s wisdom.
The “Cloud Tour of Dunhuang” enables users to see Dunhuang arts online and the details of the Dunhuang caves will be presented vividly by virtue of the technological advantages of scientific and technological companies. We are dedicated to letting time-honored traditional culture to “fly” into every family through the combination of technology and culture. Meanwhile, the mini app has also been launched on media tool QQ to make sure that young people at homes gain rich cultural nourishment. In the next, the Dunhuang Academy will continue to improve its function to bring a different experience with the audio introduction on murals. .
Besides a series of virtual exhibitions online, we have also tried other forms including music, game and creative cultural products to unleash new vigor of the ancient Dunhuang culture, revive cultural relics and introduce it to people’s life as a new impetus to guide the public trend, build the aesthetics of the times and meet the needs for a better life.
For instance, we have previously launched a “Prosperous Dunhuang Art Exhibition” featuring a real immersive artistic experience in which the audience are involved as main player rather than viewers of exhibitions. This shift has also won praises among the young people on social media.
The exhibitions online and off-line are completed with each other as the former accelerate information transmission to ensure users view the exhibition regardless of time and space. Both two channels will enable the information to reach more people with profound connotations, more interactions and long-lasting effects. This will inspire the creative evolution and development of fine traditional Chinese culture in the next. .
The digitization of cultural relics has offered new imaginary space for the protection of cultural relics. The Dunhuang Academy put forward the idea of “Digital Dunhuang” in 1980s, aiming at preserving the cultural relics of Dunhuang grottoes through computer technology and digital pictures. In recent years, the Dunhuang Academy has launched the “Digital Sponsor” plan which dedicated to carry forward traditional culture among people through many popular creative projects, We will continue to explore new ground in combining science and technology and culture, and create new ways to share Dunhuang’s digital resources across the global.
The novel coronavirus pneumonia not only poses challenges for the archaeology and museum, but also helps us to further build a transmission system through artificial intelligence, virtual tour, as well as high-speed transmission of 5G and cloud computing.