Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Preservation in China in the AI Era

The preservation and promotion of Chinese culture face significant challenges as urbanization and modernization lead to the decline of traditional heritage, while younger generations become increasingly disconnected from their cultural roots. Over-commercialization also threatens cultural authenticity, causing traditional arts to lose their original value. Without a balance between preservation and innovation, cultural heritage risks being forgotten or altered beyond recognition.

In response to this, many startups and organizations are leveraging technology to safeguard and revitalize cultural heritage. Through AI, 3D scanning, and VR/AR, they ensure that cultural assets are not only preserved but also made interactive and accessible in the digital age:

1. Interactive Technology with Ancient Culture

Island6, also known as Liu Dao, is a multimedia art collective established in 2006 in Shanghai, operating within the Island6 Arts Center—a creative hub dedicated to showcasing works that blend traditional Chinese art with modern technology. With contributions from artists, programmers, and researchers, Island6 focuses on exploring the relationship between digital art, technology, and traditional Chinese culture.

Island6 stands out for its unique integration of traditional art and contemporary technology, creating interactive art pieces that provide personalized viewer experiences. A key innovation in their approach is the use of sensor technology, AI, VR, and AR, allowing audiences not just to observe but also to actively engage with the artwork, making each experience dynamic and responsive to viewer interaction. Robotic art and interactive storytelling are also central elements, transforming the audience from passive observers into active participants in the creative process. What makes Island6 particularly unique is its open model, where it collaborates globally and adopts open-source technology, fostering community-driven creativity and sustainable artistic development. This disruptive approach enhances accessibility and innovation in the arts, creating a collaborative creative ecosystem distinct from traditional art institutions.

Island6’s approach was shaped by several major challenges in the modern art market, particularly skepticism from traditional art enthusiasts unfamiliar with digital and interactive media. The incorporation of technology into art remains relatively new and unfamiliar in many culturally conservative markets. Additionally, developing interactive digital art requires significant investment in technology, human resources, and research, making it difficult to strike a balance between innovation and cultural preservation.

Vietnam can learn from Island6’s approach by leveraging digital art’s potential, combining traditional arts with modern technologies such as AI and VR, and expanding the art market for younger generations and creative businesses. By adopting open-source technology and international collaboration, Vietnam can attract artists, startups, and researchers to build a strong creative community while producing accessible and user-friendly digital art that connects traditional cultural values with the global market. Expanding education in tech-driven art will be a strategic move to establish a solid foundation for Vietnam’s digital art industry.

2. Bringing Journey to the West to Life

Game Science, established in 2014 in Shenzhen, is best known for its flagship project, Black Myth: Wukong, an action RPG inspired by Journey to the West. The game aims to bring traditional Chinese mythology and art to a global audience through advanced technology and modern game design.

Game Science differentiates itself by seamlessly merging advanced technology with Chinese mythology, transforming ancient legends into an immersive gaming experience. Instead of focusing solely on graphics, the studio incorporates AI, motion capture, Ray Tracing, and dynamic physics engines to depict historical and mythical narratives with emotional depth and realism. Players don’t just engage in combat; they experience culture through missions, environments, and symbolic elements. Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite enables hyper-realistic visuals, rendering intricate details such as dragon scales and ornate armor. Motion capture technology ensures fluid, lifelike character movements, while AI-driven enemies learn and adapt, making battles increasingly dynamic and challenging. Ray Tracing enhances lighting and atmospheric effects, amplifying the mystical ambiance of Chinese folklore. The physics engine simulates realistic environmental interactions, from footprints in the snow to trees swaying during combat, while 3D spatial audio further immerses players in the mythical world.

Game Science had to overcome significant challenges in integrating traditional cultural elements with modern gaming technology. One of its biggest hurdles was striking a balance between authenticity and entertainment, ensuring that the game appealed to a global audience without compromising cultural depth. Additionally, breaking into the international gaming market posed difficulties, requiring the studio to make the mythology accessible and engaging for players from different cultures while preserving its Chinese identity.

Vietnam can learn from Game Science’s approach to navigate similar challenges in its own gaming industry. By combining traditional culture with cutting-edge technology, Vietnam can develop unique, culturally rich games that also cater to global audiences. A promising direction is leveraging Vietnamese legends and historical figures to create games that both entertain and educate players about Vietnam’s cultural heritage. Additionally, international collaboration and engagement with global gaming communities will help Vietnam refine its game development process and successfully introduce Vietnamese-themed games to the international market while preserving its cultural identity.

3. A Treasure Trove of Culture in the Palm of Your Hand

In China, ShanHai Museum has developed an online platform called SumHi, aimed at digitizing and showcasing cultural artifacts, allowing users to explore and experience ancient treasures through a mobile application. By integrating modern technology with historical artifacts, Shanhai Museum provides an innovative approach to cultural preservation and education.

With a vast collection of nearly 1.02 million artifacts, including 140,000 national treasures, Shanhai Museum has adopted advanced technology to modernize the way people interact with historical relics. A key innovation is the use of AI and 3D scanning, which enables precise digital reconstructions of ancient artifacts, protecting them from the effects of time. VR and AR technologies offer immersive experiences, allowing users to explore relics in virtual environments or interact with cultural sites through mobile devices. An AI-powered chatbot serves as an intelligent tour guide, providing personalized information based on visitors’ interests in multiple languages. Additionally, blockchain technology is implemented to verify the authenticity of artifacts, preventing forgeries and ensuring transparency in historical data. Going a step further, Shanhai Museum pioneers the concept of a metaverse museum, allowing users worldwide to visit virtually and even own NFT replicas of cultural artifacts.

Shanhai Museum faces various challenges in preserving, managing, and promoting cultural heritage. One of its biggest struggles is attracting younger audiences, as digital consumption trends favor interactive platforms and entertainment-based content. Competing with modern entertainment formats like Metaverse, RPGs, and AI-driven media requires continuous innovation to ensure cultural institutions remain relevant. Another challenge lies in artifact authentication and fraud prevention, requiring greater transparency in historical data management. Despite high technological potential, limited funding and human resources pose obstacles to fully implementing AI, VR/AR, and blockchain technologies in cultural preservation.

Vietnam faces similar challenges in preserving and promoting its cultural heritage. Many valuable artifacts in Vietnamese museums are still stored using traditional preservation methods, making wider access difficult. Inspired by Shanhai Museum’s model, Vietnam can digitize and 3D-scan cultural relics for long-term preservation and interactive accessibility. VR/AR integration can significantly enhance museum experiences, drawing greater public interest. Furthermore, AI-powered smart guides and blockchain-based authentication can improve museum engagement and ensure historical transparency, helping Vietnam modernize its approach to cultural heritage and attract global attention.

4. Digitalizing Heritage Conservation Strategies

Tencent's Tanyuan Initiatives, launched in 2020, is an ambitious effort to apply cutting-edge technologies to the protection and promotion of significant cultural heritage sites in China.

One of the most groundbreaking aspects of Tanyuan Initiatives is the use of muon imaging technology to analyze and preserve cultural heritage sites like the Yungang Grottoes. By utilizing muon particles, researchers can gather structural data from within historical sites, allowing them to create highly accurate 3D models. These models help identify structural weaknesses, aiding in effective conservation and restoration efforts. The application of muon imaging is particularly valuable in heritage preservation as it is non-invasive, eliminating the need for drilling or direct physical contact, reducing the risk of damage. Additionally, this technology provides highly detailed imaging of internal structures, enabling the early detection of potential risks. The collected data supports efficient conservation planning, ensuring long-term preservation of cultural heritage. Beyond structural analysis, Tanyuan Initiatives also enhances public engagement with heritage sites using VR and AR technologies. With VR, users can explore historical landmarks remotely, stepping into meticulously reconstructed virtual historical spaces. AR technology enables museum visitors to scan artifacts using their mobile devices, revealing interactive content, detailed information, and even reconstructed versions of historical sites that have deteriorated over time.

Tencent’s Tanyuan Initiatives faces numerous challenges in the digitalization and preservation of China’s cultural heritage, including the complexity of conserving fragile artifacts, the high costs of advanced technology, and accessibility barriers. The process of 3D scanning, VR/AR reconstruction, and AI-driven heritage restoration requires vast amounts of data, while some artifacts suffer from severe damage or lack historical documentation, making reconstruction particularly challenging. Additionally, the integration of blockchain and NFTs in cultural heritage preservation remains controversial, raising debates over legal implications and the commercialization of cultural assets.

Vietnam encounters similar challenges in heritage preservation, where many artifacts face degradation but have yet to be digitized or reconstructed using modern technology. Learning from Tanyuan Initiatives, Vietnam can leverage AI and 3D scanning to digitize historical artifacts, ensuring long-term conservation and greater accessibility. Moreover, incorporating VR/AR into cultural tourism can attract international visitors and enhance educational experiences. Tanyuan Initiatives demonstrates that cultural preservation should not only focus on safeguarding heritage but also on transforming it into an interactive and economically valuable experience, offering Vietnam a blueprint for developing a more sustainable and innovative heritage industry.