AI used to help preserve China's oldest wooden pagoda

Professor Liu Chang from Tsinghua University emphasized the importance of fully understanding the pagoda from various perspectives in guiding effective restoration.

He said unraveling the pagoda's historical transformations and predicting its future state are crucial steps in the preservation process.

Liu hopes to utilize the collected data to analyze and deduce the appearance of the pagoda during different periods.

"I can see how much the pagoda has been compressed and changed over time," he said.

By revealing the appearance of the pagoda at different stages of its history, Liu hopes to speculate on how the pagoda might have looked during certain periods, such as when well-known Chinese architect Liang Sicheng saw it in the 1930s, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

"It may even be possible to predict the future appearance of the pagoda by adjusting parameters and simulating how the wood may change after over 100 years," he said.

The first step in protecting or even restoring the pagoda is to know it deeply, he said.

The pagoda is tilting, which means it is "sick", he said, and to "cure" it, they have to first find a "hospital".

Addressing the challenges faced in protecting the pagoda, Liu highlighted the need for meticulous preparation, a comprehensive understanding of the pagoda's condition and the embrace of innovative technologies to drive conservation efforts forward.

Wang Xiaolong, deputy director of the Institute for the Protection and Research of Ancient Buildings and Colorful Sculptures in Shanxi province, hopes more information about the pagoda, such as the building's original design and material degradation, can be collected by utilizing technologies such as AI and big data.

"We experts are responsible for protecting and even restoring the pagoda, while other people can see this masterpiece and love it," Liu from Tsinghua University said.