Rediscovering the Old Summer Palace in metaverse

In an era marked by the fusion of digital technology and cultural tourism, metaverse technology is injecting new life into Beijing's historic Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace.

The management of the Old Summer Palace has joined hands with the Haidian Cultural Tourism Group and the Yuanlong Yato to create a metaverse space of the former imperial garden in order to revive its past glory in a virtual realm.

As the royal resort of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Yuanmingyuan was widely considered the apex of the Chinese gardening art. The complex of gardens, temples, palaces and pavilions once spread over 350 hectares in the northwest of Beijing in its peak time. This architectural splendor was burned down and looted by the invading Anglo-French forces in 1860 and gradually fell into ruins in the following decades.

The Zhengjue Temple is now the most complete preserved building within the palace. This metaverse will thus start with the Zhengjue Temple, and the construction project will span three years, allowing users to progressively experience the full scope of the Old Summer Palace metaverse.

In the future, users will be able to open the Old Summer Palace metaverse, register, select virtual characters and then "roam" the virtual palace. Through real-time voice and text communication, they can also interact with other online explorers. The organizers will also host a series of offline cultural exchange activities, including design competitions, university lectures, art exhibitions, and virtual guided tours to narrate Yuanmingyuan's rich history and its place in the present day.