Poetry and the distance are like a dream in Dunhuang.
Deep in the Hexi Corridor, the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are like a bright pearl embedded in the desert. The caves are deep and the murals are colorful, with traces of time flowing through every stroke and stroke.
In order to protect the Mogao Grottoes, the Dunhuang Academy has remained true to its original aspirations for generations, actively explored and constantly innovated. In the early 1990s, the Dunhuang Academy proposed the concept of “Digital Dunhuang” to explore the use of computer technology and digital imaging technology to preserve and reproduce the precious Dunhuang culture and art.
After more than 30 years of exploration and research, the cultural relics digitization conservation team of the Dunhuang Academy has used innovative thinking and high-tech means to achieve remarkable achievements in the field of digitizing immovable cultural relics across the country.
However, the process of transferring the Dunhuang cultural relics information to the computer is not simple.
“In order to do a good job in digital protection, we must formulate a scientific, rigorous and thorough collection plan in advance.” Wu Shaoxia, a librarian at the Dunhuang Academy who is engaged in preliminary on-site surveys and design of collection plans for the digitalization of cultural relics, said that due to the special structure of the grottoes, layout, and must comply with many cultural relic protection principles. The digital protection process of Dunhuang cultural relics is very complicated.
“The state of the grottoes is uncontrollable, and the colors of the murals will oxidize. If we can complete these tasks as soon as possible, we may be able to present the cultural relics more completely,” Wu Shaoxia said.
After formulating the plan, the image capture personnel need to repeatedly adjust the camera in the cave to maintain the orthophoto, set the parameters, and freeze the original appearance of the mural.
The cultural relics digitization team of the Dunhuang Academy is at the work site of Cave 148 of the Mogao Grottoes.Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
Entering the small cave, you assemble the instruments, lay the track, and move around in a small space. You must not only ensure the accuracy of the shooting, but also avoid damaging the murals. “Collection work is boring and hard.” An Huili, an associate research librarian at the Dunhuang Academy who has been engaged in digital splicing work for 15 years, describes her work this way.
After the collection is completed, the photos must be stitched together to restore a high-fidelity mural image. The splicing error must be controlled at the millimeter level, and every hair strand must be “seamless”. A complete mural is composed of thousands of pictures and usually takes several months.
“I am happiest when the research results are used in exhibitions or presented to the audience.” An Huili said that it is a great honor to be engaged in the preservation of cultural relics and to study cultural relics with a group of friends.
In recent years, the country has paid more and more attention to the protection of cultural relics and the inheritance of culture, which makes An Huili feel deeply responsible and missionary.
The cultural relics digitization team of the Dunhuang Academy is at the work site in Cave 158 of the Mogao Grottoes.Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy
Culture needs to be passed on and innovated, and cultural guardians must also pass it on from generation to generation. Yu Tianxiu, director of the Institute of Cultural Relics Digitalization of the Dunhuang Academy, said that so far, the Dunhuang Academy has completed the high-precision collection of 295 caves in the Mogao Grottoes, the splicing of 186 caves, and the three-dimensional reconstruction of 7 major ruins. A complete set of working methods and processes suitable for the digital collection, processing, storage, and display of immovable cultural relics, and has accumulated a large number of digital resources such as digital photography collection, three-dimensional reconstruction of caves, and panoramic tours of caves.
The cultural relics digital protection team of the Dunhuang Academy keeps pace with the times and brings forth the new, making Dunhuang culture visible, audible, feelable and tactile with the “blessing” of digital technology.
In 2016, the “Digital Dunhuang” resource library platform was launched, and for the first time through “Internet+”, high-definition digital images and panoramic tours of the entire 30 classic caves were shared globally.
In 2022, the world's first blockchain-based digital cultural heritage open sharing platform “Digital Dunhuang·Open Material Library” will be launched, opening more than 6,500 high-definition and authoritative digital Dunhuang resources to the world, realizing the safe and efficient flow of cultural resources.
“The Mogao Thousand Grottoes are lined with ringing sand, and the cliffs are covered with colorful clouds.” With the help of advanced digital technology, more and more people are approaching the Mogao Grottoes and learning about the splendid Chinese culture.
Xian Ge never drops out of school, and his legacy is passed down from generation to generation. The staff of the cultural relics digital protection team of the Dunhuang Academy are rooted in the desert, inheriting the “Mogao spirit” and making Dunhuang no longer distant through digital protection.
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