At the world heritage site of Longmen Grottoes in Henan, where over 2,300 niches, 100,000 statues and 2,800 inscriptions make up the world’s largest treasury of stone-carved art, new technology is reshaping how history is preserved.

This month, the International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation 2025 was held in Luoyang, drawing experts from more than 10 countries and organizations including the US, UK, Cambodia, Singapore and Japan. The forum spotlighted fresh ideas on protecting grotto temples and sharing the latest theories and practices.

One word stood out across the discussions: digitalization. Scholars compared it to a “cloud backup” for heritage, ensuring ancient art can travel into the future and reach audiences worldwide. With AI, experts say, machines can analyze environmental data, detect changes without damage, and even give early warnings of potential risks to cultural relics.

Thanks to these digital methods, many of China’s grotto treasures are now finding a second life in virtual form—preserved, studied, and shared far beyond the stone walls that house them.