Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, a research organization in charge of the conservation, research and management of Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi province, recently started to scan and restore its No 5 Grotto by using 3D laser scanning technology.

The No 5 Grotto has some of the most exquisite murals and sculptures of the Yungang Grottoes. It will take three months to finish the scanning, and one more year to work on the data. The data obtained through 3D laser scanning will underlie a precise 3D model of the grotto. By comparing the 3D models before and after restoration, the research institute can evaluate the effect of their works to the grottoes and prepare experience for later research.

A researcher of Yungang Grottoes Research Institute climbs to the top of a scaffold for 3D laser scanning, on July 28. [Photo by Shen Bohan/Xinhua]

A researcher of Yungang Grottoes Research Institute checks the laser scanner on the top of a scaffold in No 5 Grotto on July 28. [Photo by Shen Bohan/Xinhua]

Three visitors pass by the No 5 Grotto in Yungang Grottoes on July 28, in Shanxi’s Datong. [Photo by Shen Bohan/Xinhua]