China Is Investing in the Protection of Its Cultural Heritage

There is more to Chinese investments than just the economic or political aspect. China has been investing in upgrading its many museums across the country. The goal is to protect its cultural heritage and the thousands of cultural relics that are housed in these museums all over China. One of the ways it has chosen to do so is by incorporating the latest technology into the museum experience. Therefore, it is investing in the building of smart museums that will leverage technology such as virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR).

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) recently confirmed that the government intends to revive the museum culture in the country to save many of the dying museums. These museums have come to be known as the so-called “ghost museums” and require investment for their upkeep and revival. There are thousands of cultural relics that are housed across these museums that date back centuries. Many are historically significant relics, and the government seems determined to save its cultural heritage. The authority also revealed that they lean on modern technology for its cultural heritage to reach more people.

The use of immersive technology is already being implemented across the world to revive the museum culture. China seeks to promote the use of immersive technology that will enable smart guidance and immersive displays for visitors across the cultural heritage institutions, and offer a one of its kind visitor experience.

Big data is another modern tool that is being employed in the protection of cultural heritage. There is a national database being created that will keep track of the thousands of cultural relics spread across its expansive territory.

Besides, creating a stronger connection with museum-goers, the incorporation of technology, and the digitization of the museum experience will also directly help to safeguard the relics housed in the museum. The relics can be kept safe while the visitors experience them through the aid of virtual reality or augmented reality.

In the autonomous region of Tibet, which is home to a great number of historically significant cultural relics, the Chinese government has invested more than 500 million Yuan just last year. It undertook 85 protection projects which included the famous sites such as the Samye Monastery and the Potala Palace. This amount also funded the renovation of a number of cultural sites, the installation of fire safety and big data monitoring, etc.