Young conservation team preserves Buddhist stone carvings with cutting-edge technologies

Source: Xinhua Editor: huaxia

Members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy pose for a group photo after work at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. At the Longmen Grottoes Academy in Henan, a young and dedicated team is responsible for preserving and monitoring Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by creating digital archives of its Buddhist sculptures.

Since 2005, Longmen Grottoes Academy has started the work of laser scanning and high-definition photography to preserve the 1,500-year-old Chinese stone carvings in digital form. In recent years, the team has led dozens of national-level and provincial-level cultural relic restoration and conservation projects and contributed to the preservation and monitoring of major cultural heritages including the Silk Road and the Grand Canal of the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.

The team is the recipient of this year's China Youth May Fourth Medal, the country's top honor awarded to youths. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Rui Zihang, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, takes photos at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Hao Yuying (front) and Tang Zhipeng, both members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, operate a tracking scanner to capture data at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Zhang Guofeng, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, adjusts scanning devices at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Liu Rui, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, checks for water leakage points with an infrared thermal imaging camera at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Rui Zihang, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, performs laser cleaning on a statue stele at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Liu Rui, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, scans a Buddha head at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Zhang Man, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, observes a sample with a scanning electron microscope in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

This combo photo taken on May 12, 2026 shows portraits of Rui Zihang, Liu Rui and Tang Zhipeng (L to R), members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Liu Yi, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, checks information on a monitoring and early-warning platform of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Li Peijun, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, restores a Buddha head at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Rui Zihang (L) and Li Peijun, both members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, restore cultural relics at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

A drone photo taken on May 13, 2026 shows tourists visiting Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)