Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, a treasure of French Gothic architecture, was engulfed in flames in April 2019 due to a faulty electrical circuit. This catastrophe of civilization, regretted by people around the world, led by the most beautiful coincidence to a beautiful story of cooperation between China and France in the field of the protection of cultural heritage.
Like Notre-Dame de Paris, a large number of wooden structures in the mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, located in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, were burned to varying degrees over the years. ‘history.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Qinshihuang Emperor Mausoleum Museum and the French Heritage Science Foundation carried out a series of scientific studies focused on the conservation of wooden remains and earthen sites. Chinese and French experts achieved numerous results in wood species identification, wood dating and restoration techniques, which also further promoted the restoration of two world-famous cultural heritage sites.
In May this year, the two sides officially signed a cooperation agreement, marking a new level of scientific and technological cooperation between China and France in cultural heritage restoration.
Cultural heritage is best preserved when it is anchored in the public mind. Both countries have also achieved great success in the field of digitalization of cultural heritage.
Built between the 4th and 14th centuries, the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Dunhuang, northwest China’s Gansu Province, houses an extensive collection of Buddhist artworks , with more than 2,000 colorful sculptures and 45,000 m² of murals located in 735 caves. Since their discovery at the beginning of the 20th century, around 40,000 relics have been taken abroad, notably to France, one of the greatest preservers of Dunhuang relics today.
In 2020, the Dunhuang Academy and the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet jointly launched the “Digital Dunhuang Caves” project, aiming to globally share the relics discovered in the caves in digital form.
The project uses technologies such as digital collection of relics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, while attaching importance to innovation and experience, to give new forms to traditional culture.
“The oriental aesthetics embodied in the Dunhuang Grottoes represent globality, and reflect a multi-ethnic and multi-regional culture,” said Zhao Shengliang, general director of the academy. “We hope to use digital means to better promote Dunhuang culture to the world.”
According to Vincent Lefèvre, general curator of the museum, the Mogao Caves are a cultural heritage of all humanity. He hopes that, thanks to new technologies, this wonderful Chinese heritage will be accessible to the widest public in order to make Chinese and human civilization better known.
Talent cultivation is essential to the progress of science and technology. France and China are also developing increased cooperation in the field of higher education for the protection of cultural heritage.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations and the Sino-French Year of Cultural Tourism, Northwest China Normal University and the French Heritage Science Foundation recently signed an agreement in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, to strengthen technological cooperation in the field of cultural heritage preservation.
Under the agreement, both parties plan to share research results and promote the exchange and dissemination of scientific knowledge. They will join efforts to create a common laboratory of cultural heritage preservation methods and instruments, conducting relevant research to support heritage conservation efforts in both countries.
“This agreement aims to provide advanced scientific and technological support in the field of cultural heritage conservation, particularly for the protection of murals and other heritage works,” said Emmanuel Poirault, director of the foundation.
The signing of a series of cooperation agreements and the application of high technology provide a valuable opportunity to promote the sharing of relevant educational and scientific research resources and deepen scientific and technological exchanges between the two countries, said Ma Shinian, vice-president of the university.
