Government-university partner up to protect Pingyao relics

Cultural relics-rich Pingyao county in North China's Shanxi province has achieved great results in extending government and university cooperation in protecting its local ancient sites and artifacts.

The cultural relics department of Pingyao has been partnering up with universities such as Chongqing University and Zhejiang University in undertaking digital protection and monitoring of ancient buildings, sculptures and murals.

Colored sculptures in Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao county [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]

Recently, staff members of Zhejiang University's Cultural Heritage Institute have carried out survey and collection work under a digital protection project of the county's Shuanglin Temple, taking photos and scanning buildings, murals and more than 1,300 colored sculptures of the temple, and transforming them online with three-dimensional technology.

Project manager Tan Jian said that by combining the 3D data scanning and collection of multiple images, staff members can enable enthusiasts or tourists to have a immersive view of the cultural relics in Shuanglin Temple online with the help of technologies similar to virtual reality.

Once completed, the project will establish a digital archive of the temple that can be permanently preserved and reproduced continuously, establishing the wider foundations for the conservation and inheritance of its archaeological research, related tourism exhibitions, publicity and education.

Dacheng Hall in Pingyao Confucian Temple [Photo/pingyao.gov.cn]

In another cultural relic site of Pingyao county – the Confucian Temple – technicians from Chongqing University have been carrying out technical assessments of cracks in the walls and other structural damage to the ancient building.

Through preliminary investigations, analysis, the installation of monitoring systems and other actions, the first phase of data collection and a technical report has been completed.

The project will conduct a three-year monitoring program of the temple's Dacheng Hall, the main load-bearing readings and seismic studies – providing technical and data support for later maintenance and repairs of the venerated structure.

To date, the government-university partnerships have laid a solid foundation for the protection of cultural relics, personnel training, innovation in scientific research, publicity, education and cultural exchanges in Pingyao, said Lei Yaxian, director of Pingyao Cultural Relics Institute.

Moving forward, the cultural relics department of Pingyao will explore how to further develop the current government-university cooperation program.