Researchers at the Yungang Institute in Datong, Shanxi province, are harnessing digital technology to safeguard the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area and promote cultural heritage. The institute is responsible for protecting, studying and managing this culturally significant site.

A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes built during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535) in Datong's suburbs. The grottoes are celebrated for their rock-cut architecture and are one of China's four most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites, alongside Mogao, Longmen and Maijishan.

During a session of the Shanxi delegation at the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on March 6, Hang Kan, director of the Yungang Institute and an NPC deputy, highlighted the institute's recent progress. He noted that the number of visitors to the site has risen sharply in recent years.

In 2023, the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area received 3.03 million tourists, with the figure climbing to nearly 4.5 million in 2024. Despite the larger inflow of visitors, the area's overall operations have remained stable. In January, the scenic area ranked third on a list of the top 100 5A-level scenic spots in China with the strongest brand communication power — a recognition that came despite the challenges posed by the influx of visitors.

Hang said the Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area has implemented a "protection-first" strategy, effectively managing tourist traffic and extending operating hours to meet growing demand while preserving the site.

The scenic area has also worked to enhance both the quantity and quality of its cultural offerings. Beyond the grottoes themselves, tourists can explore various attractions within the area, such as museums, art galleries and centers for historical learning. According to statistics, roughly one-third of visitors visited these exhibition halls during last year's peak tourist season. Hang also revealed plans to construct a digital museum to provide more services and enrich the experience for tourists.

The scenic area has introduced targeted measures to boost off-season tourism. From January to February this year, 425,000 visitors were recorded, comparable to peak season levels. The site has seen a notable rise in young tourists, along with an increase in repeat visitors. These returning tourists, Hang noted, tend to seek "deeper travel experiences and richer cultural engagement."

To address these challenges, the Yungang Institute is leveraging data resources to help cultural heritage adapt to the demands of modern consumers, who expect personalized and easily accessible experiences.

Hang outlined a two-decade digital transformation of the Yungang Grottoes that began after its 2001 UNESCO World Heritage listing. The site's initial application relied on traditional surveying methods, but since then, the Yungang Institute has spearheaded a comprehensive digitalization effort in partnership with numerous Chinese universities.

To date, high-precision data collection has been completed for two-thirds of the caves. This data has been applied extensively in cultural relic protection and restoration, academic research and cultural communication.

Hang stated that digital technology has not only pioneered new methods for cultural heritage preservation but also revitalized the millennium-old caves through virtual exhibitions and innovative outreach techniques. Using the Cave 20 Buddha statue restoration as an example, he noted traditional archaeological methods face limitations when addressing extensive damage. In contrast, 3D scanning and data modeling technologies dramatically improve efficiency in identifying and reassembling fragments, enabling precise digital restoration.

The Yungang Institute has advanced data collection accuracy to 0.03 mm and used 3D printing to enable off-site displays of large relics. A scaled replica of Cave 12, known as "Music Cave," has gained popularity during touring exhibitions. In Dec. 2024, the institute organized a Yungang Grottoes art exhibition at the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Taiwan's Kaohsiung, extending its run due to strong public demand.

When discussing this complex technical support system, Hang specifically highlighted the supercomputing center independently built by the Yungang Institute.

The establishment of this advanced infrastructure in cultural heritage protection and utilization is attributed to strategic support from the Shanxi provincial government and the Datong municipal government's industrial plan to establish a national data annotation base, Hang noted.

"The digital inheritance of cultural heritage requires a solid technical foundation," said Hang. "All achievements come from continuous accumulation and are by no means accidental."