BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 8th International Symposium on Cultural Heritage Conservation by Digitization (CHCD) kicked off on Wednesday in Beijing to explore new pathways for the digital preservation and innovative transmission of cultural heritage.
Hosted by Tsinghua University, the four-day event brings together experts and scholars from over 20 countries and regions, along with representatives from the cultural, technological and industrial sectors, according to Tsinghua Heritage Institute for Digitalization (THID), one of the event's executive organizers.
Greece participated as the guest country of honor for this year's symposium. During a special session dedicated to the country on Wednesday, Chinese and Greek experts discussed and exchanged experience on precision heritage mapping, digital twin applications, and smart heritage information systems.
The opening ceremony on Wednesday saw the launch of the Digital Revitalization Project of NCSR's (Greece's National Centre for Scientific Research) GRR1 Nuclear Energy Industrial Heritage, marking a significant step forward in bilateral cooperation, from institutional framework-building to tangible project implementation.
A signing ceremony for a China-Italy digital cultural tourism collaboration was also held on Wednesday, with the Xanadu Site in China's northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region serving as the central cultural anchor of the initiative. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.
Beyond the academic sessions, the event also offered a vibrant array of cultural experiences, including an ethnic costume showcase, an intangible cultural heritage craft fair, and a salon on ethnic culture.
"We aim to build an open, cross-sector platform that unites government, industry, academia and research institutions," said He Yan, president of THID.
"By bridging disciplinary and sectoral divides, we hope to explore new models for heritage preservation and revitalization in the digital age, breathing new life into cultural heritage through digital empowerment and cross-cultural dialogue," she said.
The first CHCD was held in 2010. ■
