VR visits enabled for ancient buildings

Eighty-three old buildings in Sichuan province can now be visited virtually by scanning QR codes, the cultural relics and archaeology research institute in Chengdu, the provincial capital, said.

More than 100 historical buildings in Sichuan have been mapped since 2008, with virtual reality data collected for 83 old buildings.

The institute's ancient architecture center has reconfirmed or determined the age of 23 historical buildings in Sichuan and generated a thematic database of buildings in the province from the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

It offers ancient architecture lovers opportunities to have online tours through a virtual platform, and provides more evidence for academic research.

Bao'en Temple in Pingwu county is one of the best-preserved buildings from the Ming Dynasty.

As soon as visitors scan the corresponding QR code, they will find themselves in the temple square, with access to indoor scenes.

"The researchers have preliminarily grasped the characteristic change in shape of the historical buildings from the Yuan Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Sichuan. They have come to more accurate judgments on the age of many old buildings," said Yu Shumin, the center's director.

The first volume of a Sichuan ancient-architecture survey has been published, and the second volume will be published this year, Yu said.

Yan Jinsong, the head of the institute, said, "The number of historical buildings from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan dynasties in Sichuan ranks top in southern China, so the establishment of an ancient architecture database is of great significance."