Yuyu Sun

How Digitization Activates Cultural Heritage – The Case of Dunhuang Mural Paintings

Project Abstract

The digital preservation and dissemination of traditional culture is an important issue in the protection and inheritance of culture in today’s society. This paper focuses on the research problem of how to preserve and disseminate traditional culture through digitalization, and takes the image of Flying Sky in Dunhuang mural paintings, which is very hot in culture and research, as the research object, and explores the combination of cultural heritage and digital communication technology to promote the inheritance and protection of traditional culture, and the design strategy and method of digitalization of traditional culture in the light of the status quo of the transformation of Dunhuang culture’s cultural value in the contemporary times.

Reflection on process

Throughout the project, I encountered the greatest challenge of conveying the significance of preserving Dunhuang culture to people from other cultural backgrounds who might not be familiar with it. After delving into digital design efforts and gaining a deeper understanding, I realized that the digitization of cultural heritage holds positive potential. However, it requires a careful approach to ensure the genuine protection and transmission of the culture without compromising its ethics, quality, and authenticity. Digitization without preserving the cultural essence is meaningless. Additionally, striking a balance between digitization and real-world experiences should be considered to promote the sustainable preservation and inheritance of cultural heritage.

Fig. 1 – Attempts to find digital ways of preserving and passing on the culture of Dunhuang murals through knowledge of that culture.

Fig. 2 – “Apsaras Beneath Digital Generative Art”—Exploring the Practical Benefits of Digital Forms in Preserving Dunhuang Murals.

Fig. 3 – The front side of the postcard features a faded Apsara design with information and the Mogao Caves logo.
The reverse side features an authentic Apsara mural, musical instruments, and information about the instruments in the mural.