An immersive journey through Shuilu Temple

Tourism to sites of heritage fueled by Black Myth: Wukong has been trending, as visitors flood to these centuries-old temples, pagodas and statues that inspired the game's creators. Among the dozens of locations is the Shuilu Temple in Lantian county, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, where thousands of delicately crafted statues form a lively 3-D mural.

The popularity of these cultural treasures also promotes conservation work through technology, allowing more people to appreciate their beauty and, more importantly, their cultural value.

Researchers from the Beijing Institute of Technology have been collaborating with scholars and conservationists of cultural relics to revitalize the Shuilu Temple — its architecture and colorful statues — in ways that connect visitors to its history without requiring them to visit it.

The fruit of this work, an exhibition of photos, installations and interactive displays, integrating 3-D modeling and artificial intelligence, has landed on the Beijing Institute of Technology's Liangxiang campus, the third leg of its tour, from Dec 7-31. A program of the China National Arts Fund, the exhibition engages visitors in an immersive, multifaceted journey through the past and present of the Shuilu Temple.