Digital wizardry makes broken Buddhist statues whole again

Moving forward

China's Qingdao Recommendations gained international backing following the 2nd Council Meeting of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia on June 20.

The recommendations highlight the importance of digital technology in improving information sharing and collaboration, stress the need for thorough research of the provenance of colonial artifacts, and advocate cooperation with the originating countries.

In a 2019 speech at the Dunhuang Academy, President Xi Jinping emphasized the role of technology in enabling the "digital return" of cultural relics scattered around the world, and the global sharing of cultural and artistic resources.

Since 2019, the International Touring Exhibition of the Digital Restoration of the Tianlong Mountain Grottoes has been taken overseas to countries like France and Egypt, as well as to Chinese cities such as Beijing and Nanjing in Jiangsu province, along with other locations, receiving widespread acclaim. It was last staged in Athens, Greece, in May.

Liu Yuwei, director of the Taiyuan Culture Relics Bureau, said the project is the first of its kind to reunite precious cultural relics with their original settings through virtual means.

Wei Tao, Party secretary of Taiyuan, said the event aims to foster cultural exchanges and collaboration, support the Belt and Road Initiative and enhance global cultural cooperation.

A new museum has been established near the grottoes to showcase the digital replicas. Local authorities have also invested in infrastructure improvements.