Digital innovations breathe new life into Foguang temple

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in heritage preservation.

An AI monitoring system has been installed to track environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and structural stability at Foguang Temple. Sensors and data analysis tools provide real-time updates on the temple's condition, enabling prompt responses to potential threats.

"This proactive approach is crucial for safeguarding fragile artifacts and structures from damage and degradation," Lu said.

In 2005, the Shanxi Culture Relics Bureau collaborated with Tsinghua University's Architectural Design and Research Institute to make data collection at the temple more precise.

Using 3D-scanning methods that can measure both horizontal and vertical angles, distances, and store digital survey data for later use, the team has achieved millimeter accuracy in documenting the temple's structural details. This allowed researchers to gain deeper insights into the temple's construction techniques, materials and structural dimensions.