Collections from China’s famous caves are moved to the Blockchain database
China’s premier archaeological research institute launched a blockchain-based cultural heritage database on Tuesday, claiming it is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
The Dunhuang Academy, which oversees the famous Mogao Grottoes and other sites, said more than 6,500 high-resolution digital collections of murals, manuscripts and scrolls from six historic grottoes can now be browsed and downloaded at the digital library, according to a statement by the Chinese technology giant Tencent, which provided technological support for the project.
The collection includes images from the Mogao Grottoes and five other nationally protected sites under the Academy: Western Thousand-Buddha Grottoes, Yulin Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, Bingling Temple and North Grotto Temple.
Located in the northwestern province of Gansu, the Mogao Grottoes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to some of China’s most prestigious Buddhist monuments built along the Silk Road. The Dunhuang Academy, which made headlines in September over difficulties hiring archaeologists, has been pushing the digitization of cultural relics for the past two decades in an effort to permanently preserve the caves’ contents and electronically recover artifacts lost during wartime.
Together with the blockchain database, the program is operated under a co-creation model for individuals and companies to download materials for their own creation. The recreated content can then be uploaded to an open platform to enrich the database, all of which can be accessed through the smart ledger system.
The platform also uses blockchain technology to protect the intellectual property of the derivative works of art by keeping trackable records of ownership, creation, authorization, payments and downloads, according to Tencent. In addition, all authorized use of the materials can be verified, while e-signature technology ensures the security of the agreement process.
“The platform will meet various requirements for academic research, cultural exchange and creative innovation,” said Luo Jing, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s science and education department, during a virtual meeting to launch the initiative on Thursday. “The co-creation model will facilitate the efficient and sustainable development of digital cultural resources.”
Editor: Bibek Bhandari.
(Header image: A screenshot shows some of the digital collections from the Dunhuang Museum. From Weibo)
