Theoretical Mechanism and Implementation Path of Digital Technology Enabling Cultural Heritage Protection
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Ziqing Ye
Abstract
Cultural heritage is an important carrier of Chinese excellent traditional culture, based on the background of digital and real integration, introducing symbiosis theory into the theoretical analysis framework of the integration and development of cultural heritage and digital technology has important academic value and practical significance. Based on the in-depth explanation of the connotation of the integration of cultural heritage and digital technology, we specifically analyze the symbiotic unit, symbiotic environment, and symbiotic mode in the dynamic symbiosis system, and discuss the application of digital technology in the protection, dissemination, and experience of cultural heritage. The integration development of Chinese cultural heritage and digital technology has made remarkable achievements, but there are still constraints such as insufficient integration depth, high user demand but weak practical application, and backward protection and utilization cognition. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the application and management of technology research and development, pay attention to user needs, and improve the level of social cognition, to realize the value of cultural heritage shared by the society.
1 Introduction and Literature Review
In October 2023, Xi Jinping’s cultural thoughts were first proposed at The National Conference on the Ideological and Cultural Propaganda Work, highlighting the important role of culture in the theoretical innovation of the Party. The “seven focuses” requirement emphasizes “Focusing on continuing the Chinese cultural context and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional Chinese culture”. Cultural confidence originates from historical inheritance and innovative development. As a treasure in the development process of all mankind, cultural heritage carries rich historical, artistic, and scientific connotations. The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China wrote “strengthening the conservation and utilization of cultural relics and the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage” as an important topic in the report, reflecting the great importance that China attaches to historical and cultural heritage, and it has far-reaching significance and important value for the continuation of the historical context, firming up the cultural self-confidence, and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional Chinese culture. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) proposed to increase the protection of cultural relics and cultural heritage; and strengthen the protection and inheritance of history and culture in urban and rural construction. General Secretary Xi Jinping (2022) attaches great importance to the work of cultural relics and cultural heritage, and emphasizes the need to “make more cultural relics and cultural heritage come alive” from the perspective of inheriting cultural roots and promoting the soul of the nation. He attaches great importance to the development of the cultural industry, from the aspects of the vigorous promotion of science and technology to the cultural industry and the the economic benefits of the cultural industry, profoundly explaining the scientific connotation of the cultural industry as a sunrise industry. At present, digital technology has been comprehensively integrated into culture in the whole chain. The so-called full chain refers to the cultural creation, production, dissemination, and consumption of the whole industry chain built based on digital technology. The so-called comprehensive refers to the text, images, voice, images, and other cultural expressions through digital means to integrate and display (Jiang, 2021). In the era of the digital economy, digital technology has become the core idea to crack the contradiction between cultural supply and demand, and to promote the integration and development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries. At the same time, with the help of digital restoration, digital twins, and other ways to balance the contradiction between the protection of cultural heritage and innovative applications, we can build a new mode of dissemination of Chinese excellent traditional culture, through digital technology to promote the public accessibility of cultural heritage as well as social influence.
Symbiosis was first proposed in 1879 by the German biologist H. de Bary, an evolutionary biologist who developed the theory of symbiosis in his study of cellular and biological evolution. and asserted that biological evolution is not explained solely through competition and adaptive selection, but is driven by the establishment and evolution of symbiotic relationships. Since the middle of the 20th century, with the advancement of cross-disciplinary integration, many social science fields, such as ecology, philosophy, economics, management, and sociology, have also begun to introduce symbiosis theory to analyze the issues of their disciplines, and the subsequent development involves the classification of symbiotic relationships and the continuous improvement of the research methodology. Chunqing Yuan, the earliest scholar in the field of Chinese social sciences to fully utilize the research paradigm of symbiosis theory, drew on the theory of symbiosis to conduct an in-depth study of the small-scale economy, arguing that the essence of symbiosis is a kind of competitive relationship, i.e., different symbiotic units are interdependent and interact with each other. The optimal allocation of resources and the maximization of benefits are achieved through a reasonable division of labor and collaboration, which have important characteristics such as the circularity of resource use, the relevance of upstream and downstream industries, and the value-addedness of production results (Yuan, 1998).
Symbiosis is an important research perspective of cultural heritage protection and inheritance, but the existing results of the symbiosis of digital technology and cultural heritage research are few. The possible reasons are as follows: Firstly, the introduction of symbiosis theory into cultural heritage science is relatively late, the symbiotic relationship between the field of management and economics, as well as the strength and weakness of the field, is not easy to do intuitive judgment (Hu, 2008). However, based on the common external development environment and common goals, it is an existing fact that traditional culture and digital culture have built a symbiost of interests of “coexistence and co-prosperity. We thus introduce the “symbiosis theory” to expand the digital protection of cultural heritage and the application of practical research. Secondly, the symbiosis theory has rich connotations, and it is difficult to analyze the symbiosis unit and the symbiosis environment from the perspective of cultural heritage. Thirdly, the practice precedes the theoretical research, and the rapid development and wide application of digital technology have brought new opportunities and challenges to the field of cultural heritage due to the technological drive and practical demand, which has prompted people to try to combine digital technology with cultural heritage preservation, inheritance and display.
2 Mechanism Explanation of Digital Technology Empowering Cultural Heritage Protection
2.1 Digital Technology Provides New Ways for Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance
The digital transformation and innovative application of cultural heritage is an important trend in the current cultural field, covering a variety of fields, including cultural heritage protection and restoration, connotation excavation, wisdom management, and revitalization and utilization, which is a brand-new way for digital technology to provide protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, so as to realize digital preservation of cultural heritage, virtual display, interactive experience (Pan et al., 2020), and digital research and digital inheritance. In the field of protection and restoration, digital technology provides a powerful tool for the protection of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage data collection and recording are more accurate and comprehensive (Chen et al., 2022), helping to protect the integrity and authenticity of cultural heritage. At the same time, high-definition scanning technology and virtual modeling technology make the disease prevention and repair of cultural relics more delicate and effective, and through real-time light and shadow restoration and other means, protect and reproduce the archaeological site. In the field of connotation excavation, digital technology provides a new way for the research and understanding of cultural heritage. By constructing a knowledge map and database, the connotation of cultural heritage can be deeply analyzed and excavated. In the field of intelligent management, digital technology provides new modes and tools for the management and operation of cultural heritage. By constructing a data center and visualization system, comprehensive management and monitoring of cultural heritage can be realized. It includes applications such as archaeological site digital work platform, museum cultural relics monitoring and management, cultural relics visualization data platform, museum cultural relics database, etc. In the field of revitalization and utilization, digital technology provides new ways and means for cultural heritage experience and dissemination. Innovative applications, including online cloud exhibitions, digital museums, 3D printing displays, and cultural heritage and cultural tourism intelligent scenic spots, enable the public to visit and understand cultural heritage through virtual platforms. In addition, digital technologies have facilitated copyright management and trading of cultural heritage, as demonstrated by applications such as digital collections, digital copyrights, and blockchain asset trading platforms, which have promoted the commercial value and sustainable development of cultural heritage.
2.2 Combining Digital Technologies with Cultural Heritage to Generate Sustainable Social Value
The deep integration of cutting-edge technologies and cultural heritage is a symbiotic mode of digital innovation ecosystems that aims to jointly address cutting-edge technological challenges constraining the preservation, transmission, and utilization of cultural heritage, as well as the realization of the cultural, economic, and social values of cultural heritage. The deep integration of digital technology and cultural heritage has the following three levels of impact in terms of sustainable social value: Firstly, through the application of digital technology, the protection and display of cultural heritage reshape the social cognition of cultural heritage, so that people can experience the splendor and charm of cultural heritage across time and space, and then inspire their love for the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and strengthen their cultural self-confidence. Secondly, the use of digital technology can refine cultural elements and symbols, making them become a source of cultural reconstruction and artistic redevelopment, this combination and application can continue the historical context, promote the development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries in the new era, and contribute to the construction of a strong cultural country. Finally, the use of digital technology can deeply excavate the connotations of cultural heritage, and widely empower its cultural value and cultural spirit in the real economy and urban and rural construction. Digital storage and management systems make it easier to preserve, disseminate, and access information on cultural heritage, and build a solid foundation for the protection, research, cultural inheritance, and sustainable utilization of cultural heritage. Cultural heritage enriches the content and experience of digital culture, and its constructivist representations emphasize the reinterpretation and re-creation of traditional cultural heritage to meet the needs of contemporary society and audiences.
2.3 Integration and Innovation of Traditional and Digital Culture
On the one hand, the innovation of traditional culture lies in realizing digital transformation through creative transformation and innovative development with the help of modern science and technology and modern concepts. This means that traditional culture can be transformed into its digital form through the application of digital technology, so that it can be disseminated and passed on in a wider way. Through digitalization, traditional culture can be better preserved and disseminated through virtual display, online access, and digital storage, and it can also be combined with modern technology to create new art forms and experiences. On the other hand, the innovation of digital culture lies in drawing on excellent cultural resources, constantly improving its cultural connotation, and using national language symbols to express contemporary cultural needs. Digital culture is not only the digital presentation of traditional culture but also includes the innovative application of digital technology to create new cultural forms and content. Through digital technology, digital culture is presented in a multimedia, interactive, and personalized way to meet the diverse needs of contemporary society for culture. In general, both traditional and digital cultures innovate on the basis of maintaining their uniqueness and connotation. Traditional culture achieves preservation and inheritance through digital transformation, while digital culture creates new cultural forms and contents by combining them with modern technology. Both innovations aim to meet the needs of contemporary society for culture and to promote its development and inheritance.
3 Analysis of Symbiotic Systems of Cultural Heritage and Digital Technology
“Symbiosis” can be understood as an equilibrium in which different species form a collaborative relationship based on interests and benefits and ensure their realization, which implies the basic law of evolution. Symbiosis theory includes three elements: symbiotic unit, symbiotic environment, and symbiosis mode, which describes the composition and interaction of different levels in the symbiosis system. The integration of cultural heritage and digital technology constitutes a complex dynamic system, which is similar to the multiple interactions emphasized by the symbiosis theory, and both emphasize cooperation and coordination between different fields and stakeholders. Given this, the study believes that the integration of cultural heritage and digital technology can be analyzed from the perspective of symbiosis theory, and the essence of the integration of the two is the process and the result of the formation of a symbiotic system of digital synergy, through the symbiosis mode of the relevant symbiotic units in the protection and transmission of cultural heritage.
3.1 Symbiotic Unit
A symbiotic unit is a basic unit that constitutes a symbiotic system and is responsible for producing and exchanging energy, laying the material foundation, and providing the power source for the synergistic evolution of the symbiotic system. From the perspective of an ecosystem, cultural heritage consists of several related symbiotic units, including the cultural heritage itself, cultural heritage management organizations, cultural heritage experts and researchers, visitors and tourists, local communities and residents, and innovative enterprises applying digital technology. These symbiotic units interact with each other, rely on each other, and promote the protection, inheritance, and innovative development of cultural heritage through cooperation and synergy. As the core of symbiotic units, cultural heritage includes material cultural heritage with historical, artistic, and cultural values, such as immovable cultural relics like ancient buildings, ancient ruins, and ancient grottoes, and movable cultural relics such as artworks and library materials. It also includes intangible cultural heritage of economic, social, and educational value, such as oral traditions, performing arts, festivals and rituals, and handicraft skills. With their specific historical context and cultural connotations, these heritages provide the material and spiritual basis for symbiotic systems.
3.2 Symbiotic Environment
3.2.1 Policy Environment
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), “cultural confidence” has been mentioned many times in many cultural heritage policies issued by the government. In the new era of cultural heritage protection and inheritance, the new cultural mission is to strengthen cultural self-confidence and promote cultural construction. Several policies have been formulated around revitalizing cultural heritage, strengthening cultural self-confidence, developing the cultural heritage economy, and promoting people’s spiritual identity. According to the time when China’s relevant policies were released, cultural heritage protection and innovation can be divided into three stages. The first stage is the “exploration” period, which mainly adopts the “museum-type” protection (Xu, 2003). This stage has a low component of innovation and development, and the “mandatory” policy tools are mainly used to “salvage” the cultural heritage of the previous period (Meng and Qin, 2005). The second phase is the “productive transformation” phase, which places greater emphasis on the economic value of cultural heritage and develops the economic benefits of cultural heritage using “market-based and incentive-based” policy instruments (Xia and Li, 2014; Shao and Zhang, 2022), establishing the basis for innovative modes of cultural heritage protection. The third phase is the “sustainable development” phase, which is based on the productive transformation, emphasizes more on the nondestruction of cultural heritage resources. With the same policy tools as in the second phase, this phase positively stimulates the protection of cultural heritage through a series of practical policy support (Ding, 2020; Mou et al., 2020). The concept of “digital technology” began to appear in government policy documents during the second phase (Jia and Feng, 2022).
The National 13th Five-Year Plan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Public Cultural Services in Science and Technology mentioned “digital” and “science and technology” 113 times. The plan emphasizes the use of science and technology to ensure the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage. In the “14th Five-Year Plan” documents, keywords related to “digital technology” appear frequently in the policy documents related to “cultural heritage”, “culture and tourism” and other national departments, which have frequency as many as 122 times, while in the previous 30 years, the relevant policy documents mentioned “digital” 187 times (Diligna and Song, 2023). The relevant focus not only emphasizes the role of digital technology in cultural heritage protection and inheritance, but also emphasizes systematic deployment of cultural heritage inheritance work, and the completion of the high-quality development of culture-related industries. It can be seen that the development and application of digital technology have been deeply into the protection of cultural heritage and resource development, which has been mentioned more frequently in recent years, and has been integrated into the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage in a more diversified way. As a result, the symbiotic relationship between cultural heritage and digital technology has a symbiotic basis in the trend of policymaking at different times.
3.2.2 Economic Environment
China attaches great importance to the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, as of the end of 2022, there has been 11,340 cultural relics institutions of various types, the number of museum institutions in the country has been 6,565, there has been more than 1,600 revolutionary museums and monuments in the country, and there has been 298 exhibition halls venues in the country, and a part of the venues has already launched the digitalized culture and tourism consumption products or projects. In 2021, China’s cultural relics industry earned about 80.4 billion dollars, and museums earned about 39.9 billion dollars.[1] Meanwhile, data on the value-added of the national cultural industry in recent years shows that new business forms under the fusion of culture science and technology have become the core point of growth in the output value of the cultural industry. The value-added of culture and related industries has grown from 180.71 billion yuan in 2012 to 4,494.5 billion yuan in 2020, and the proportion of GDP has grown from 3.36% to 4.43%, of which the revenue growth rate of industries with more obvious characteristics of the new industry of digital culture has exceeded the average of the revenue of the traditional culture industry by about 11%, which provides an important force to promote the cultural industry to move towards a pillar industry. The revenue of the new cultural industry grew from 2.1 trillion yuan in 2018 to 3.96 trillion yuan in 2021, an increase of 18.9% over the previous year, and its share in the revenue of cultural enterprises rose from 21.5% in 2018 to 33.3% in 2021.[2] Calculated according to the data from 2018 to 2021, the incremental revenue of cultural enterprises above scale in three years will be 1.86 trillion yuan, and if it can be developed at an annual growth rate of 5%, enterprises above scale in the 16 subcategories of the new digital culture industry will realize revenue of 6.77 trillion yuan in 2030, an increase of 2.81 trilion yuan compared with 2021. If it can be developed at an annual growth rate of 8%, it will realize revenue of 7.91 trillion yuan in 2030, compared with the incremental 3.95 trillion yuan realized in 2021, which can be doubled.[3] It can be seen that the new digital culture industry will have the potential to create trillions of dollars of industrial increment in the coming years. In recent years due to the continuous development of the digital economy, steady growth, and multi-industry transformation process, digitalization has become an important growth engine. Relevant panel data show that in 2022, China’s digital economy has exceeded 50 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 40% of GDP, maintaining at a high growth rate of 10%, and has become the main source of power for the current stable economic growth.[4] Combined with the above economic data of the cultural industry, it can be seen that under the future economic development trend, the digital economic environment has a considerable role in promoting the symbiotic relationship between cultural heritage and digital technology.
3.2.3 Cultural Environment
In 2014, “cultural self-confidence” was proposed for the first time in China, and in the current environment of multicultural coexistence in China, the establishment of cultural self-confidence is closely related to the development of the country and national rejuvenation. China is a multi-ethnic country with a long history, and in the course of its long-term development, its forefathers have left behind a rich cultural heritage for future generations. According to the evaluation of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, as of September 2023, China has 43 items on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, which is the largest number of “intangible cultural heritage” items in the world.[1] China has 56 World Heritage sites (including 38 cultural heritage sites, 14 natural heritage sites, and 4 cultural and natural heritage sites) on the World Heritage List, ranking the first in the world.[2] China’s cultural heritage is not only large in number and category, but also has a great impact. At the beginning of the 21st century, China’s cultural heritage protection path adopted the “museum-style” protection, which bound many outstanding cultural heritage in specific places or distanced them from the general public due to geographic constraints. With the gradual improvement of people’s living standards, spiritual and cultural needs have become one of the most important needs of people nowadays. Before the emergence of digital technology in the field of cultural heritage, access to the excellent cultural content of China through cultural heritage was limited by time and space factors. Since the introduction of digital preservation in 2010, in addition to being able to retain and protect the existing cultural heritage through digital technology, the time and space distances between the cultural heritage and the people have been eliminated as a result of digital technology. The cultural atmosphere within China has been greatly enhanced over the past decade or so, and the heat of the relevant topics that have emerged has continued.
3.3 Symbiotic Mode
Symbiosis mode refers to the way of interaction between symbiotic units, where two or more different entities or systems coexist and develop through interdependence and mutual promotion. According to the behavioral categories and benefit distribution, direction, and intensity of interaction between symbiotic units, symbiotic modes can usually be classified into point-parasitic symbiosis, (intermittent) biased symbiosis, and (continuous) reciprocal symbiosis, of which continuous reciprocal symbiosis is considered to be the most idealized symbiotic mode. Parasitic symbiosis mainly involves the energy distribution of the symbiotic unit, which is usually manifested as that the less-resourceful party is dependent on the more-resourceful party, and the energy distribution is biased in favor of one party, i.e., one party benefits and the other party suffers. Favorable symbiosis is a situation where one party benefits while the other is not affected. Mutually beneficial symbiosis is when units work together, resources are highly shared, and both sides receive energy distribution. When cultural heritage and digital technology are in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, cultural heritage can gain new vitality and vigor through the integration of the two, so as to achieve the purpose of long-lasting protection and sustainable inheritance, and ultimately promote the symbiotic effect of “1+1>2” under the mutually beneficial symbiosis mode of optimal efficiency. For the integration and development of cultural heritage and digital technology, the relevant symbiosis unit is in the process of exploring from partial symbiosis to reciprocal symbiosis. This study proposes that the symbiosis of cultural heritage and digital technology is categorized into five types of symbiosis modes: integration symbiosis, interaction symbiosis, innovation symbiosis, education symbiosis, and social symbiosis.
In the integration symbiosis mode, cultural heritage organizations cooperate with digital technology companies and technology teams to integrate each other’s resources and capabilities. Cultural heritage institutions provide specialized cultural heritage knowledge and rich physical resources, while digital technology companies provide digital technology and innovative solutions. Through integration, the two units thus achieve the goals of digital preservation, virtual display, and digital education of cultural heritage. Interactive symbiosis mode, a close partnership is established between cultural heritage institutions and digital technology experts, researchers, and users. Digital technology expertise and technical capabilities can provide cultural heritage institutions with new ideas and innovative solutions, while the expertise and resources of cultural heritage institutions provide a wealth of materials and scenarios for the development of digital technology. Innovation symbiosis mode, in which cultural heritage and digital technology work together to promote the formation of new development modes and business modes through innovation and experimentation, jointly exploring the digital technology in the field of cultural heritage application and innovation, creating a new way of experiencing cultural heritage through digital display, virtual reality, augmented reality and other technological means, and providing personalized and interactive visiting and learning experiences. Educational symbiosis mode, in which cultural heritage and digital technology promote people’s understanding of and participation in cultural heritage and digital technology through education and training. Educational tools and platforms of digital technologies can provide online learning resources related to cultural heritage, including virtual museums, online courses, interactive games, etc., to enhance the public’s awareness of cultural heritage and digital literacy, and to stimulate interest in and love for cultural heritage. Social symbiosis mode, whereby cultural heritage and digital technologies work together to serve the development of the society and the public’s needs through the cooperation and interaction with all sectors of the society. Through the application of digital technologies, a wider range of opportunities to visit and experience cultural heritage are provided, both online and offline, so that more people can participate and share the value and significance of cultural heritage. These symbiotic modes demonstrate many dimensions and directions of the integration and development of cultural heritage and digital technologies. Through collaboration and co-creation among different entities and systems, the preservation, inheritance, and innovation of cultural heritage can be realized, thereby promoting the development and application of digital technologies in the cultural field.
4 Factors Affecting the Role of Digital Technologies in Cultural Heritage Preservation
4.1 Digital Technology in the Cultural Field Needs to Be Upgraded Urgently
First, content overload and information distortion. Digitization enables the rapid dissemination and sharing of a large number of cultural heritage materials, but at the same time, it also brings about the problems of information overload and information distortion. A large amount of digital content may result in users not being able to effectively access and understand truly valuable cultural heritage information, and may even lead to incorrect interpretation and misinformation. There are also challenges to the quality and credibility of information on digital platforms, which may introduce misleading or false information and negatively affect the transmission and research of cultural heritage. Second, digitization threats. Digitized cultural heritage data may be subject to hacking, data leakage, or unauthorized use, which poses a potential threat to the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage. In addition, digitization also makes cultural heritage materials easy to copy and disseminate, which may lead to piracy and copyright infringement issues, further diminishing the value and uniqueness of cultural heritage. Furthermore, technology dependency. The rapid development and upgrading of digital technologies may lead to the problem of technological dependency. In the protection and transmission of cultural heritage, over-reliance on a particular digital technology for digitization, storage, and access may lead to inaccessibility or loss of cultural heritage materials, once the technology becomes obsolete or unmaintainable. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that the current practice of integration of digital technology and cultural heritage mainly stays in the external forms such as surface and symbols, with relatively little in-depth excavation of cultural connotations. To realize the symbiosis of integration of science and technology and culture, based on the premise of making full use of cutting-edge scientific and technological means, it is still necessary to carry out re-development and re-creating of the culture’s way of expression. The collision between science technology and culture creates common proprietary attributes and cultural values, which transcends the original attributes of culture and science and technology independently, and makes the cultural heritage revitalized under the means of cutting-edge science and technology.
4.2 Imbalance Between Supply and Demand Constrains Cultural Heritage Digitization
Currently, the demand of cultural heritage consumers is high, but the application of digital transformation of institutions is weak. The application of cultural heritage digitization is still in the exploratory stage, and the current digital application of cultural and museum institutions is mainly carried out in the form of digital acquisition, cloud exhibition, and physical cultural creation. However, the form of digital assets is focused on two-dimensional images and textual information. Online exhibition display has become the most widely applied field of digital assets, and about 82% of cultural and museum institutions carry out cloud exhibition displays. Physical cultural creation is still the mainstream, with nearly 38% of cultural and museum institutions carrying out the development of physical cultural creation products based on the extraction of cultural heritage elements, and nearly half of them have not yet carried out other forms of digital cultural creation product applications. In terms of the demand for digital application of cultural heritage, cultural and museum institutions generally show a higher demand for diversified technological innovation applications than other aspects in terms of protection and restoration, connotation excavation, wisdom management, and revitalization and utilization. The average percentage growth of demand is 30% to 40%, but the demand for the above major application areas reaches 60%. Meanwhile, from the supply side of cultural heritage data resources, its supply creativity is insufficient, the utilization rate of data elements after collection is low as well as the awareness of utilization is insufficient. However, the current public demand is shifting fast and aesthetically updated, from basic cultural product consumption to developmental consumption focusing on the quality of products and services, and then to interactive and personalized immersive and productive consumption.
4.3 Issues such as the Concept of Sustainable Development and Ethical Principles
At present, there are still some constraints at the cognitive level in the process of symbiotic development of digital technology and cultural heritage. One of them is the technical cognition and digital capability of practitioners. The rapid development of digital technology makes it necessary for cultural heritage practitioners to have corresponding technical cognition and digital competence to cope with the challenges of the digital era. However, many cultural heritage practitioners have a relatively low level of technological awareness and competence in digital technologies, which may limit their application of digital technologies in cultural heritage preservation, dissemination, and presentation. The lack of technological awareness and digital competence may result in their inability to fully utilize the potential of digital technologies, limiting the deep integration of digital technologies with cultural heritage. Second, the concept of sustainable development and ethical issues. In the process of digital transmission of cultural heritage, there may be some ethical issues, such as the authenticity and integrity of digital reconstruction, the risk of commercialization, and the cultural erosion brought by digitization. Attention should also be paid to the attributes of cultural heritage as a public cultural resource in the commercial application of digitization, which should adhere to the priority of social benefits and the principle of dissemination of cultural values, and should not be over-commercialized with the sole purpose of obtaining economic benefits. Third, social cognition and cultural identity. The symbiosis between digital technology and cultural heritage may raise concerns about cultural identity and social cognition. Some people may believe that the intervention of digital technology will destroy the uniqueness and authenticity of cultural heritage and even negatively affect cultural identity. In addition, the spread of digital technologies may also lead to the exacerbation of the digital divide, preventing some people from participating in the digitization process and further exacerbating differences in social perceptions. These issues of social cognition and cultural identity may limit the advancement of the symbiosis between digital technology and cultural heritage.
5 Implementation Path of Integrated Development of Digital Technology and Cultural Heritage
5.1 Accelerate the Application of Research and Development, and Empower the Protection, Inheritance, and Utilization of Cultural Heritage
In response to the problem of information overload and information distortion, it is necessary to provide effective information screening and establish a sorting mechanism, and set up a professional team or institution responsible for screening and collating digital cultural heritage to ensure that users can obtain credible and valuable information. Utilize professional knowledge and standards to audit and verify content to improve the quality and credibility of information. Based on users’ interests and needs, institutions provide personalized recommendations and navigation functions to help users quickly find the cultural heritage content they are interested in, which can be achieved through intelligent algorithms and user behavior analysis. At the same time, professional education and guidance for users should be strengthened to improve their understanding and interpretation of cultural heritage, and to avoid the occurrence of misinformation and misinterpretation. In response to the threats of cultural heritage digitization, we should strengthen and adopt necessary network security measures, including encryption, authentication, firewalls, etc., to protect the security and integrity of digitized cultural heritage materials. Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability scans to identify and fix potential security risks promptly. Strengthen copyright protection and compliance supervision, establish a copyright protection mechanism, and strengthen copyright management and supervision of digital cultural heritage materials. In response to the excessive technological dependence of cultural heritage protection and transmission, adopt open standards and sustainable technologies in the digitization process, and avoid excessive dependence on a specific technology. Ensure long-term accessibility and migration of digital materials to reduce the impact of technological updates. Conduct regular data migration and backup, and choose reliable storage media and backup strategies to ensure the safety and long-term preservation of cultural heritage digital materials.
5.2 Strengthen Technological Integration and Build a Fully Authentic and Interconnected Cultural Heritage Digital System
At present, digital technology has formed an innovation matrix, with strong technology integration capability, and the integration of cutting-edge technology and cultural heritage is more effective. If digital technology enterprises are limited to using a single or a small number of technologies, the aggregation effect is often not obvious enough. However, if a variety of technologies are concentrated, the technological capability of the enterprise will be substantially enhanced through a superimposed relationship. For example, data analytics combined with intelligent applications can be used in cultural heritage research, education, and exhibition planning. Virtual reality and augmented reality experiences can be used in a superimposed manner, and through VR headset devices, users can feel the shock of ascending an ancient building at home or interacting with artworks in a museum. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning used together, AI, and machine learning technologies can be used for automatic classification, labeling, and analysis of cultural heritage. By training models, intelligent management and search of cultural heritage digital resources can be realized, providing more accurate information retrieval and recommendation services. In addition, AI can be used for virtual restoration and reconstruction of cultural heritage to provide a more realistic presentation. Blockchain technology can be used to ensure the security and trustworthiness of cultural heritage digital data. Through the decentralized characteristics of blockchain, data tampering, and forgery can be prevented to protect the integrity and rights of cultural heritage digital resources. In addition, blockchain can realize the traceability of cultural heritage digital data and transaction records, promoting the protection and value transfer of digital cultural heritage. In addition to technological integration, creative enhancement is also crucial. The combination of digital technology and excellent cultural creativity can produce lasting cultural influence and infectious power. Through innovative interface design, interaction, and visual effects, it provides users with a different and amazing experience from traditional cultural heritage.
5.3 Focus on User Needs and Promote User-Oriented Diversifi ed Development
In the era of the deep development of the information society, the audience for the digital transformation of cultural heritage is becoming broader and broader. However, when considering digital applications, cultural institutions or related organizations usually pay more attention to the suitability of appropriate technological means and non-heritage objects, resulting in less attention to the specific target audience of the products and services, as well as the specific needs of the users and even the ability to satisfy their needs. The market demand and consumption quality of the cultural heritage industry have significantly increased, and the public is no longer just pursuing the simple display of “seeing the name and knowing the meaning”, but users are willing to pay a higher price to obtain a better cultural experience. Digital technology promotes cultural heritage resources from data to assets, from the “cultural circle” to the “social circle”, and promotes the sustainable development of economic and social benefits. Indonesia’s iWaereBatik Batik project attaches great importance to the study of user needs, and before implementation, a lot of work has been done to analyze the needs and interests of users of the Batik project and the interactive functions of the platform, and to classify the users (Permatasari and Cantoni, 2021). In the context of cultural digitization strategy, China’s cultural heritage protection should pay more attention to excavating and interpreting the cultural genes embedded in cultural heritage projects and their contemporary roles and applications. Therefore, institutions or related organizations need to establish a user mindset, conduct user refinement, and demand research in promoting the digital protection and inheritance of cultural heritage. At the same time, to solve the supply level problem is not only to present users with various forms of digital cultural heritage products and services, but also to dig deeper into the traditional cultural content and show the core value of cultural heritage through the full integration of science and technology and culture. Excavate the connotation from the source of excellent traditional culture, extrate the elements and prototypes and reconstruct the elements, so as to innovate the quality while ensuring high fidelity and a high degree of restoration at the same time.
5.4 Enhancing Cognitive Level and Social Sharing of Cultural Heritage Values
Addressing the cognitive level constraint barriers in the symbiosis of digital technologies and cultural heritage requires a combination of multifaceted efforts, including providing training and education, establishing interdisciplinary cooperation, promoting research and innovation, emphasizing social participation and shared values, and strengthening policy support and norm-setting. In terms of targeting practitioners’ technological awareness and digital competence, training and education targeting digital technologies are provided to cultural heritage practitioners to enhance their technological awareness and digital competence. This is specifically achieved through the organization of seminars, workshops, training courses, and online resources. Training may include aspects such as the use of digital tools and technologies, digital project management, and the protection and preservation of digital content. In response to the sustainable development of cultural heritage and the problem of cultural erosion brought about by over-commercialization and digitization, there is an urgent need to strengthen technical protection and security measures, and to take the necessary technical protection and security measures to prevent misuse, tampering or theft of cultural heritage digitization projects. This includes data encryption, access control, digital watermarking, and other technical means to ensure the integrity and security of digital achievements. Develop and implement ethical review mechanisms to ensure that digitization projects are in line with the principles and values of cultural preservation. This includes reviewing commercialization projects to assess their impact and potential risks to cultural heritage. Enhance user participation and feedback by addressing the social cognition and cultural identity aspects, and provide diverse digital presentations to respect and protect the uniqueness of different cultures. This may include multilingual support, presentation in different media formats, personalized user interfaces, etc., so that users can interact with digital content in a manner consistent with their cultural identity. Respecting and preserving cultural heritage in its original state. During the digitization process, details and features of cultural heritage should be presented as accurately as possible, respecting its original state and historical context. High-precision scanning and reconstruction techniques are used to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the digital presentation. In addition, it is necessary to consider the problem of the digital divide caused by the spread of digital technologies for cultural heritage, and to increase investment in digital infrastructure development to expand the coverage of digital cultural heritage. Design and develop digital tools and interfaces that are easy to use and understand, lower the threshold of use, and emphasize the principles of social participation and shared value to ensure the accessibility and inclusiveness of digitization projects.
Funding statement: Fund projects: “Research on Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance”(2023CJYYJ02), Emergency Program, National Academy of Economic Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
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© 2024 Ziqing Ye, Published by De Gruyter
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmater
- Frontmatter
- Column: China's Economic Development
- Gender Pay Gap in the Gig Economy
- Can Digital Transformation Definitely Improve Firms’ Markups?
- Crowding-in or Crowding-out: How Infrastructure Investment Affects Household Consumption
- Downstream Competition and Upstream Innovation: Theory and Evidence from China
- Stock Markets, Financial Depth, and Economic Growth in China: Evidence from ARDL Model
- Theoretical Mechanism and Implementation Path of Digital Technology Enabling Cultural Heritage Protection
