A smart lens on the past

From augmented reality glasses to digital twins, unseen technology is revolutionizing authentic cultural travel experiences, Yang Feiyue reports.

World Heritage sites and travel leaders at a Beijing summit found common ground: the future of cultural tourism lies in innovation, with China at the heart of that transformation.

The ticket sellers at Jinshanling Great Wall, 130 kilometers northeast of central Beijing, faced the same challenge every day. Around 100,000 foreign visitors passed through the ticketing station each year, and nearly every single one needed help understanding the difference between ticket options.

Their only tool was a smartphone. They typed in Chinese, translated the text word by word into English, and read it aloud. One visitor after another. The line grew longer. The summer heat became stifling. Everyone was exhausted.

Then a pair of augmented reality glasses changed everything.