Beijing advances central axis protection through digital technology

The Beijing Central Axis garnered widespread attention as a prime example of how digital technologies can revitalize and preserve cultural heritage at the 2024 Beijing Culture Forum.

The forum, themed "Deepening Cultural Exchange to Achieve Common Progress," concluded on September 21 after gathering over 800 guests from both China and abroad, in Beijing. With over 700 years of history, the Beijing Central Axis embodies the city's memory and its rich civilization. Its heritage value and preservation efforts became focal points of discussion during the forum.

Stretching 7.8 km from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north, the Beijing Central Axis was constructed based on ancient architectural philosophies to create an ideal layout for a capital city. In July, it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Cultural heritage preservation requires both reverence for history and a spirit of innovation. The cultural essence of the heritage sites should be integrated into everyday life, enhancing the public's spiritual well-being, said Sun Xinjun, Party secretary of the Dongcheng District of Beijing.

Whether it is the digital bell at the Bell and Drum Towers that uses light and shadow to capture the passage of time or the contemporary interpretations of traditional opera in Qianmen Street, Beijing has brought its historical legacy to the public in more dynamic forms in recent years. This has allowed people to experience the charm of cultural heritage through immersive interactions.

The inscription of the Beijing Central Axis on the UNESCO World Heritage List has opened up new perspectives on urban heritage. The Beijing Central Axis demonstrated the lasting vitality of traditional urban planning, while urban heritage protection policies must consider the dynamic evolution of cities in response to changing needs, said Jad Tabet, president of the Association of Architects and Engineers of Arab Countries.

The participants at the forum agreed that digitization is an effective way to revitalize cultural heritage. Beijing's status as one of the global leaders in the digital economy can be leveraged by applying technologies like artificial intelligence and digital twins, e.g. a digital replica of a physical object, contextualized in a digital version of its environment, to enhance the preservation of the Beijing Central Axis.

Chinese tech giant Tencent recreated the core heritage area of the central axis with a digital microcosm encompassing approximately 300,000 plants and 2.2 million buildings. Through a mobile mini-program called "Digital Central Axis," users can embark on an immersive journey of the area, guided by virtual characters.

Notably, the mini program also provides a platform for the Digital Watchman project, an innovative crowdsourced conservation initiative launched in December 2023. By simply scanning QR codes, taking photos and uploading inspection reports through the mini program, residents and visitors can become citizen stewards, logging signs of deterioration or damage.

The rapid development of digital technology has brought new opportunities for cultural inheritance. Tencent's "Digital Central Axis" project has played a key role in Beijing's application for World Heritage status, with digitization becoming an essential innovation and hallmark of the application, said Chen Juhong, vice president of Tencent.

In the view of Roman Jeannaeu, chairman of the organizing committee of the Sunny Side of the Doc, audiovisual media are a powerful means of promoting cultural heritage. China's vast and diverse cultural heritage holds tremendous potential for global exposure. It is hoped that there will be more international documentaries focusing on the Beijing Central Axis in the years to come.