Gaming technology aids preservation of Mogao Grottoes

LANZHOU -- A laboratory exploring new technologies for preserving and promoting cultural relics of the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu province, was launched Wednesday.

Jointly established by the Dunhuang Academy and internet giant Tencent, the lab hopes to combine Tencent's 20 years of explorations in computer graphics techniques and gaming technology with digital renderings of the millennium-old grottoes to create cultural and innovative products.

The latest achievements include a virtual duplication of the Library Cave, one of the Mogao Grottoes' caves with 60,000 rare cultural relics unearthed.

Visitors can also indulge themselves in the virtual world to realize the building history of the Mogao Grottoes and various aspects of life in ancient China, and interact with the historical figures on the wall, according to Li Hang, executive director of the project with Tencent.

"The combination with academic research and advanced technology will provide a new impetus for developing creative products that meet the public's need for traditional culture," said Su Bomin, director of the academy.

The two parties have been cooperating since 2017, and have created a series of popular products.

The Mogao Grottoes is home to a vast collection of Buddhist artwork with more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals.