STORY: China's cultural treasure Dunhuang goes digital to survive, thrive
DATELINE: July 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:56
LOCATION: LANZHOU, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Mogao Grottoes
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN JINSHI, Chinese archaeologist
3. various of the digitalization drive
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN XIN, Staff member, Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GU TINGTING, Staff member, Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YU TIANXIU, Director of Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute

STORYLINE:

An asteroid was named after Chinese archaeologist Fan Jinshi on Monday in recognition of her contribution to the protection, study, and promotion of the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu Province.

In the late 1980s, the "Digital Dunhuang" project was put forward by Fan in the hope of using digital technology to permanently store the cultural heritage of the grottoes in high fidelity.

Over the past 30 years, with the help of ever-advancing digital technology, the project has achieved that and also facilitated more people's virtual access to the treasures without the need to open and access the actual caves.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): FAN JINSHI, Chinese archaeologist
"The digitalization is to strike a balance between cultural relic protection and visitors' experience."

The digitization project condensed the efforts of several generations of staff, who had overcome technical obstacles to improve efficiency and accuracy with new technology and smarter tools.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): CHEN XIN, Staff member, Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute
"I am so proud of participating in the digitalization project."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): GU TINGTING, Staff member, Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute
"I really love my career from the bottom of my heart."

By the end of 2022, the Dunhuang Academy had finished compiling digital data collection for 289 caves, image processing for 178, and the 3D reconstruction of 140 caves and seven ruins while delivering a panoramic tour program for 162 caves.
   
In 2022, the academy's various online platforms recorded about 400 million visits from 120 countries and regions.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YU TIANXIU, Director of Dunhuang Academy's cultural relics digitalization institute
"In the future, we must adhere to the principle of permanent preservation and sustainable use. Meanwhile, we'll keep making efforts in the digitalization work for the permanent preservation of the grottoes."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lanzhou, China.
(XHTV)