Tencent in digital pact to protect cultural relics

Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd is taking extra steps for the protection and promotion of ancient cultural relics through an upgraded digitalization partnership with an institute tied to the UNESCO World Heritage site Mogao Grottoes.

Under a three-year collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy unveiled on Friday, the two parties pledged to set up a joint working group that uses artificial intelligence technologies to detect hazards endangering frescos, in order to ensure their preservation and repair.

The duo also pledged to display and promote cultural relics in the Sutra Cave, among the most well-known caves in the Mogao Grottoes, through digital means, enhance cultural exchanges with overseas institutes that house Dunhuang-related relics, and advance the Belt and Road Initiative via the cultural platforms.

The fresh tie-up is based on an earlier collaboration launched three years ago, when Tencent and the academy started working in tandem to digitize the experience of visiting the hundreds of caves spanning 1,000 years through dedicated apps and interactive mobile games.

"In terms of protecting frescos, AI is estimated to save up to 70 percent of human endeavor," said Edward Cheng, vice-president of Tencent.

"The development of science and technology is bound to bring about more possibilities in protecting cultural relics and cultural heritage."

Under the agreement, the Dunhuang Academy will leverage Tencent's AI expertise to detect the nemesis of frescos by feeding the machine with relevant knowledge and data. Tencent will also develop an immersive diagnosis system allowing experts to conduct remote inspection of historical sites and cultural relics.

Zhao Shengliang, director of the Dunhuang Academy, said science and technology can help ensure full protection of cultural relics.

"Even if a cave is damaged for good due to force majeure, we still manage to obtain a complete copy through digital tools," he said.

The pair will also explore possibilities to create animation series with Dunhuang frescos as prototypes. Tencent said it would draw resources from its animes, movies and online literature business arms to serve that goal.

The past three years have witnessed major leaps in popularizing Dunhuang among the public. For instance, an initiative dubbed Digital Supporters of Dunhuang codeveloped by the pair allowed users win smart tips as they bask in virtual tours of Dunhuang sceneries via their phones. A certain proportion of the tips they win was donated for the digital preservation of the Mogao Grottoes.

A separate mobile phone mini program called Traveling Dunhuang launched last year has attracted 37 million virtual visits so far.

The protection, research and use of cultural relics is also highlighted in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

The Dunhuang Academy has been adopting digital technologies to preserve the research and exploration of Dunhuang Grottoes since the early 1990s. It has also teamed up with other technology powerhouses like Huawei.