Longmen Binyang Central Cave
Digital Restoration
Highlights
This project aims to produce a complete digital reconstruction of the Binyang Central Cave. The current focus is on reconstructing the Empress Procession relief. Below, you can explore a 360° rendering of the space as it appears today (left), alongside the digital restoration in its current state of development (right). Drag to look around, move the slider, or click the labels to toggle between views.
Features
Historical Background
An introduction to the Longmen Grottoes and Binyang Central Cave, exploring their history from the Northern Wei dynasty to the present day.
Destruction of Reliefs
Large sections of the elaborate stone relief carvings from the Binyang Central Cave were destroyed or sold to museums in the early part of the 20th Century. This interactive feature explores each of these reliefs and what is known about their modern whereabouts.
Viewers of the Imperial Procession Reliefs
The Imperial Procession Reliefs (c.500–523 AD), now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, continue to captivate visitors from around the world...
Digital Restoration of the Empress Procession
The Empress Procession relief from Binyang Central Cave has been painstakingly recreated digitally by Professor Jia Zhuofei of Xi'an Jiaotong University
Documentary: Digital Restoration of the Empress Procession
A documentary film by Hou Xintian exploring the digital restoration of the Empress Procession relief
Gallery
Xi'an Jiaotong University Team scanning in Binyang Central Cave, 2022
Professor Jia Zhuofei speaking at Luoyang Museum, 2022
3d scanning the Empress Procession relief at the Nelson Atkins Museum, 2019
Professor Jia Zhuofei speaking at Longmen Research Academy
Professor Jia Zhuofei working on a physical model of the reconstructed Empress Procession
Professor Jia Zhuofei and Katherine Tsiang with a 3d replica of residual wall