Digital technologies used to rebuild 1,500-year-old grottoes in virtual world

Meanwhile, workers are restoring the walls of Cave No 38, 39 and 40 in the western part of the site, which is plagued by weathering.

"We are racing against time, hoping to thoroughly preserve our precious cultural heritage as soon as possible," said Ning Bo, leader of the digitization team.

Researchers started exploring the digitization of the Yungang Grottoes in 2003, trying to permanently preserve its valuable cultural relics and historical documents through digital technologies.

Digitization is just one of a series of technological methods adopted by the research institute to promote the conservation and modernization of the grottoes, the team said, adding that a series of comprehensive measures will be taken in the future.

The Yungang Grottoes boast a total of 254 caves of various sizes and more than 59,000 Buddha statues. With a grotto complex stretching about one kilometer from east to west, it is one of the largest ancient grottoes in the country.