Science ship Tansuo-1 conducts the first round of archaeological investigation for the shipwrecks found under the South China Sea. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By LU Zijian

Science and technology have always been important contributors to the passing on of culture, be it tracing the past, protecting the literature or displaying the relics. Now, with advanced technology, this contribution has been made much more efficient and accessible, bringing in a wider audience to connect with culture in a way that has never been possible before.

Sci-tech facilitating archaeology

Archaeology is an indispensable part of tracing the past. Deep sea archaeology has tremendously extended the scale of traditional archaeological activities under water, which enables the invaluable relics on the depths of the ocean to again appear before an appreciative public.

On May 21, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced that two ancient shipwrecks dating back to the Ming Dynasty (estimated) were discovered about 1,500 meters under the South China Sea, and an archaeological investigation on the two shipwrecks began the same day.

However, archaeology below the ocean is a difficult undertaking and it was the deep water technical equipment that made all the difference.

Tang Wei, director of the National Centre for Archaeology, said that a series of new technologies and equipment were adopted. For example, scientists set up a permanent surveying and mapping base point at the shipwreck, and conducted position calibration via long baseline positioning technology, which greatly enhanced the precision and accuracy of data records and archaeological activities under water.

The Institute of Deep -sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, uses manned and unmanned submersibles and devices like new force feedback flexible manipulators, so as to conduct protective extraction of relics on the seabed and under water cleaning of the key relics covered by sediment.

Protecting ancient books

Literature is a crucial carrier of civilization, but the acidification of paper has a bad impact on the preservation of books. Many of the ancient books and pieces of literature suffered from the acidification of paper.

Taking the National Library of China (NLC) as an example, over 50 percent of the 670,000 pieces of literature during the Republican period of China (1912-1949) has a PH value under 5.0, which means they are severely acidized. If they are not deacidized as soon as possible, these literature artifacts will become completely damaged in 50 to 100 years.

In order to solve the problem, NLC has been working on the deacidification of paper since 1981. Key laboratories and research teams have been setup and a series of achievements made, including three patents for invention.

The deacidifier they developed is absolutely safe. Suitable for 99 percent of literature, the deacidifier can dry very quickly without paper shape changing or ink fading. After the deacidification, the PH value of paper will be greatly increased, and a certain amount of alkali reserve will stay in the paper, which could resist the acid destruction for 200 to 300 years.

Displaying cultural relics to the public

By visiting cultural relics and experiencing them in person, people can better understand history and culture. Technology has made it more vivid to visitors.

Dating back 5,300 years, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, has transformed itself into a digital and smart park. 

The park is the first historic site park with full 5G coverage in China. There is a 5G experience hall, in which the production process and daily life of people in Liangzhu are restored, and visitors can experience their fishing and hunting lifestyle.

A specific app was developed to realize AR interaction with visitors. At a certain location in the park, the 3D virtual scenario will seamlessly match the real world  scene when visitors choose the designated mode. Visitors can even communicate with Liangzhu people, and learn about the types and history of jade.

The Mojiaoshan Palace of Liangzhu City has been rebuilt digitally via modeling, and visitors could "see" the palace by wearing a pair of AR glasses. Visitors can also make vlogs for themselves by taking photos at fixed cameras positions within the park, integrating themselves with the scenery and virtual animation elements.

There are many other examples of presenting cultural relics with advanced technologies, such as the Digital Dunhuang Project, which integrates all kinds of data including photos, videos, 3D data and other literature data into a digital repository of cave cultural relics, that can be shared globally through Internet.