Ancient Meets Digital: Longmen Grottoes Reborn with Tech

Imagine touching a 1,500-year-old Buddhist statue… through your phone screen! At China’s Longmen Grottoes, tech visionary Gao Junping and her team are rewriting preservation rules with 3D printing and augmented reality (AR), turning ancient artistry into a viral-ready experience.

Carved into limestone cliffs during the Northern Wei Dynasty, these UNESCO-listed masterpieces now glow anew through digital scans that capture every chisel mark. \"We’re not just repairing history,\" says Gao. \"We’re letting Gen Z interact with it – like a time-traveling TikTok for culture lovers!\"

Their secret weapon? Drones mapping unreachable crevices and AR apps that resurrect faded sculptures to their original painted glory. The team’s micro-documentary (dropping soon!) promises backstage access to this fusion of Buddha, bytes, and boundless creativity.

As travelers flock to see both the real grottoes and their digital twins, one thing’s clear: in Gao’s lab, the past isn’t fragile – it’s rebooted, buffered, and ready for its close-up.

Reference(s):

Carved in time: The digital Odyssey of Longmen

cgtn.com