The Living Past

25/11/2025

🧠AI deciphers oracle bones! The world's first AI agent dedicated to researching oracle bone script has been launched in Anyang, Henan province — the place where the oldest known mature Chinese writing system, carved on animal shells and bones, was discovered in 1899.

📜Named "Yinqi Xingzhi," the agent integrates two major AI models, DeepSeek and Tencent Hunyuan, and is a key part of the broader Digital Oracle Collaborative Project, which focuses on building datasets and digitally recovering oracle bones lost or held overseas.

The world's first AI agent dedicated to researching oracle bone script has been launched in Anyang, Henan province — the "hometown of oracle bone script" — on the 126th anniversary of the script's discovery.

12/11/2025

🔍Guo Hanzhong, a cultural relic restorer at the Sanxingdui Museum in Sichuan province, has participated in the restoration of more than 6,000 artifacts from the Sanxingdui site over nearly 40 years.

🌳Among them is the "No 1 Bronze Divine Tree," which took six years to piece together. From fragments buried in mud to a magnificent treasure, Guo has devoted his career to helping these cultural relics regain their ancient brilliance.

11/11/2025

👀New clues are emerging from the mysterious Sanxingdui site in Sichuan province!

✨Sanxingdui has been unveiling breathtaking archaeological finds since it was first discovered in the 1920s. Recent studies — from more precise burial dates (possibly 1201–1012 BC) to innovative bronze-casting and gold-refining techniques, as well as evidence of intensive wetland rice farming — all point to Sanxingdui as a highly developed and prosperous center of the ancient Shu Kingdom.

06/11/2025

📜In Liye town, Hunan province, where nearly 38,000 inscribed slips from the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC) were unearthed in 2002, the Liye Qin Slips Museum and the Liye Ancient Town Archaeological Site Park have reopened after renovation.

🏛️As China's first museum dedicated to the preservation and study of Qin slips — records revealing the empire's politics and daily life — the museum now features over 700 newly added slips and interactive digital zones for an immersive experience. With ongoing archaeological work, more valuable insights into the Qin Dynasty are yet to be unveiled.

03/11/2025

👀A Mixed Reality (MR) archaeological adventure, the first of its kind in China, has recently been launched at the Helan Mountain Rock Art Scenic Area in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Blending art and technology, the experience brings cultural heritage to life right before your eyes.✨

31/10/2025

🖌️What if a lost imperial masterpiece could be resurrected?

🎉The China Yuanmingyuan Society has completed its project to replicate the Forty Views of Yuanmingyuan (the old Summer Palace in Beijing) — a Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) collection of silk paintings depicting 40 scenes of the imperial garden. Nearly 100 historians and artists joined forces to recreate the lost masterpiece — along with its original container and cabinet — bringing to life the imperial landscapes that had been looted and transported to France in 1860. The project also provides a crucial foundation for the ongoing digital restoration of Yuanmingyuan's timeless beauty.

23/10/2025

🌟The Doushan site in Jiangsu province — the earliest known prehistoric city in the lower Yangtze River Delta — dates to the Majiabang (5000–3350 BC) and Songze (3800–3300 BC) cultures.

🏙️With its intricate walls, moats, and artifacts of pottery, jade, and porcelain, the site reveals a highly organized early society. Using non-destructive exploration technology, archaeologists are uncovering new insights into the origins of Jiangnan culture and the story of early Chinese civilization.

30/07/2025

🏛️Marking the 1st anniversary of the World Heritage status of the Beijing Central Axis, a three-year action plan is being rolled out!

🌟From accelerating the restoration and reclamation of historic gems like the former army and navy department of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Prince Fu’s Mansion to expanding public access to Qingcheng Palace complex in Xiannongtan and the archery tower at Zhengyang Gate — preservation meets innovation through technology and public participation.🥰

29/07/2025

🌟Discover the roots of rice civilization on Hunan’s Liyang Plain—home to 392 prehistoric cultural sites spanning 500,000 to 4,000 years ago!

🌾From the Bashidang site, marking the beginnings of rice-based agriculture, to the site of the ancient city of Chengtoushan with its 6,500-year-old paddy field, the Liyang Plain holds key clues to the origins of rice farming in China.

🏛️Today, farmland coexists with heritage, and site parks bring the past to life through tourism and conservation.

28/07/2025

🏛️Celebrate the first anniversary of the Beijing Central Axis' inscription as a World Heritage site in miniature!

🆕A new exhibition in the Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua Dian) gallery in the Palace Museum, Beijing features around 200 creative seal carvings inspired by iconic architecture along the Central Axis. From AI design to 3D printing, artists and the public alike explore tradition through modern tech. Plus, don’t miss 20 rare imperial seals from the museum’s own collection!

📅Dates: Until Sept 12

18/07/2025

🤔Mysterious mounds? 🐂A gilt bronze ox? 📜The mysterious Tangut script?

Join Yuanxi, China Daily's digital host, as we uncover the secrets of the Xixia Imperial Tombs—newly inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List— a symbol of vibrant interactions and exchanges among China’s ethnic groups.🤩

16/07/2025

📜From decoding Tangut script to creating cultural products and digital characters, Xixia studies are entering a new era! Powered by AI and cross-disciplinary teamwork, this once-lost Xixia Dynasty (1038-1227) steps into the global spotlight thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage inscription.🏛️

Learn more⤵️:
https://brnw.ch/21wUb6D