Chinanews client, Beijing, July 23 (Reporter Shangguanyun) Recently, the Management Office of Yuanmingyuan has joined hands with the School of Archaeology, Culture and Museum of Peking University for the first time to start the digital archiving of stone inscriptions. A comprehensive record of Yuanyingguan and Dashuifa sites was carried out by means of three-dimensional scanning, photogrammetry and panoramic photography.

  Nowadays, the Internet and technology have given museums more possibilities to "out of the circle". It is common to watch exhibitions and appreciate cultural relics online. With the help of digital technology, how can cultural relics get closer to the audience?

"Living" Yuanying View and Dashui Method

  Those who are interested in the Old Summer Palace will probably have an impression of "Yuanying View" and "Dashui Fa".

Data map: Beijing ushered in heavy snow, and a tourist enjoyed the snow scene in the Old Summer Palace. Photo by China News Agency reporter Cui Nan

  The Yuanying Temple in the Western Building of the Old Summer Palace is a group of European-style palaces during the Qianlong period, all built with white marble, and the stone and carvings are also very fine.

  The Dashui Method is close to the south of the Yuanyingguan high platform. It is a set of fountains with stone niche-style buildings as the background. There are also exquisite fountains in the oval chrysanthemum-shaped fountain at the front and bottom, and there is a thirteen-level water jet on each side. When the towers are open together, the scene is quite spectacular.

  Unfortunately, they were burned by the British and French forces in 1860. At present, only ruins remain. According to reports, in 2018, the Yuanmingyuan Administration Office carried out reinforcement and protection projects for Yuanying Temple and Dashuifa.

  In order to leave historical images on these two sites and record historical traces, the Yuanmingyuan Management Office recently commissioned the School of Archaeology, Culture and Museum of Peking University to carry out digital archiving work for the first time.

  It is reported that digital archiving will use advanced technologies such as global navigation satellite systems, three-dimensional laser scanning, panoramic photography, photogrammetry, etc., to finally generate site pattern data, support desktop and mobile access, and provide system maintenance services.

Apart from the cloud exhibition, what else is "digital"?

  Not only Yuanyingguan and Dashuifa, many other cultural relics can also be "lived" through digital technology. In the Internet age, this also provides many possibilities for the development of museums.

  For example, through panoramic shooting and 3D data reconstruction of Yuanmingyuan Yuanying View and Dashui Method, the distance between cultural relics and viewers can be shortened. If the “cloud exhibition” of cultural relics is held, visitors can achieve “handheld viewing” through mobile phones.

Data map: Lu Chenglong (right), director of the artifacts department of the Palace Museum, introduced the digital high-definition three-dimensional cultural relic blue and white plus alum red color sea water dragon bowl. Photo courtesy of the Palace Museum

  From the digital work of the Forbidden City to the "Digital Forbidden City", the Forbidden City has accumulated more than 20 years of experience in the collection and management of digital resources. On July 16 this year, another "Digital Forbidden City" applet was released online, which further integrated the Forbidden City online digital services.

  The reporter's inquiry found that the mini program can be used for shopping online. In addition, there are categories such as "Forbidden City Famous Paintings" and "Digital Cultural Relics Library".

  The Dunhuang Academy began its exploration of "digitization" very early. For example, the "Digital Dunhuang" project includes three parts: virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive reality, digitizing Dunhuang treasures, breaking time and space constraints, and meeting people's travel needs.

  The digital "cloud exhibition" also satisfies the audience's appreciation desire. Previously, many domestic museums had been closed due to the need for epidemic prevention and control. During the closed period, several online exhibitions were launched to provide audiences with a more diversified museum "cloud experience".

Museum: N possibilities of digitalization

  "Digitalization" can also play a role in the protection of cultural relics and cultural research. This is good news for the museum.

The picture shows the digital work site of the Murals in Cave 61 of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. (Data map) Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy

  "In addition to the establishment of digital archives of cultural relics, the large amount of digital cultural relics information collected after scanning can play a role in the digital exhibition of museums and the virtual restoration of cultural relics," said Li Weiwei, a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Ancient Architecture.

  In addition, these data can not only be used to produce online exhibitions. He believes that the collected cultural relic data can also be used for research purposes. If the cultural relics are damaged due to force majeure, they can be restored more accurately by using the previously retained data.

  In other words, digital technology allows museum artifacts to get another form of "immortality" in the virtual world.

  "For the protection of cultural relics, digital means are not the master key to everything. But with the continuous renovation of science and technology, the way of expressing cultural relics can bring more interesting experiences to the audience," said Li Weiwei. (Finish)