Gathering in the 'millennium ancient capital': Why is this training program drawing so much attention?

Gathering in the "millennium ancient capital" to safeguard humanity's treasures. Recently, the Thematic Training Program on the Digital Protection of Cultural Heritage successfully opened during the 2025 World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitalization Forum in Xi'an, Shaanxi. More than 40 officials, experts, and scholars from government departments, embassies and consulates in China, and cultural institutions across 26 countries and regions including Sri Lanka and Germany attended the program.

"Protecting and passing on historical and cultural heritage is a responsibility to history and to the people." Faced with a vast and rich legacy, how to better protect, transmit, utilize, and exchange these treasures has become a pressing question of our time. As the first training program by the World Internet Conference Digital Training Institute focusing on cultural exchange and mutual learning, this event was both timely and widely watched.

From the curriculum design, the program is rooted in the present and oriented toward the future, centering on the theme of digital cultural heritage protection and presenting global cutting-edge trends. From "Disruptive Technologies and the Deep Integration of Heritage Institutions: Potentials and Reflections" to "An Analysis of How Digital Technology Advances the Protection and Utilization of Cultural Heritage", from "Digital Protection Practices of Traditional Villages: Methodologies, Case Studies, and Online Presentation" to "The Dresden Royal Porcelain Collection—The Road to Building a Digital Platform", the lectures combined height and depth with case studies, inspiring participants worldwide.

Feedback from trainees tells the story: "We gained so much and hope to continue cooperation, bringing more professionals to China for training"; "I learned valuable experience from the professors and will apply it to our own cultural and artistic contexts"; "The technologies we learned are brand new to us in protection and restoration, opening my eyes and giving me fresh ideas"; "I hope to take what I've learned back home to teach others so more people understand how to protect cultural heritage." Such heartfelt responses show the program achieved tangible results and met expectations.

The transmission of cultural heritage is a shared cause that transcends borders and connects us all. The successful launch of this program was not an ordinary professional training, but a milestone for building consensus and deepening action. It marks a critical step toward institutionalized, scaled-up, and in-depth cooperation in safeguarding humanity's common cultural treasures through digital technology.

From a technical perspective, it has established a new paradigm for heritage protection. In the past, we often had the will but not the "skills" to safeguard cultural relics. Today, with the spread of the internet, rapid digital advances, and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, the world faces unprecedented opportunities in technology-driven heritage preservation.

Heritage protection has always been a race against time, as humanity sought to "delay" the physical decay of cultural relics. Digital technology fundamentally changes this paradigm: it creates a digital "copy" that never fades, realizing the eternal digital life of civilization.

From the Digital Dunhuang Caves allowing visitors thousands of miles away to experience the site virtually, to the precise reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral based on digital models, these cases show digitalization is no longer just a supporting tool but the cornerstone of ensuring cultural legacies endure. This program's significance lies in systematically summarizing, standardizing, and scaling up advanced digital technologies, setting a new benchmark and guide for global heritage protection.

From a civilizational perspective, it has built a new mechanism for exchange and mutual learning. In today's climate of headwinds against globalization, cultural exchanges can be hindered by political or economic factors. Yet cultural heritage digitalization offers a rare, highly depoliticized "greatest common denominator" for global cooperation. The noble mission of safeguarding humanity's shared heritage transcends geopolitical divides and brings together global wisdom.

This program created a stable and efficient mechanism. Experts from multiple countries are no longer fighting alone but gather on one platform to jointly explore how new technologies can empower heritage protection. The lecturers were renowned figures from home and abroad, while participants came from diverse nations—all united by the same goal.

Such cooperation, based on shared technologies and objectives, is quietly building a "digital community of civilizations" in cyberspace. It demonstrates that civilization is enriched by digitalization, while technology gains warmth from culture. The internet is not only an economic lifeline but also a cultural bridge linking humanity's past and future, promoting global understanding and peace.

From the perspective of national responsibility, China has shown new leadership in global governance, moving from being a "technology user" to a "solution provider." "First, ensure that protection and utilization complement each other, safeguarding the roots and soul of cultural heritage; second, let innovation and tradition enrich each other, breathing new life into heritage protection; third, align the present with the long term, fostering resilience and continuity in heritage protection." These three expectations put forward by Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the World Internet Conference and Dean of the Digital Training Institute, are vivid examples.

As a major country of cultural heritage, China has, through years of effort, grown from an early learner of digital technologies to an innovator and leader commanding global attention. In the fields of internet governance and cultural preservation, China is evolving from an active participant to a significant contributor and leader. It reflects the image of a responsible nation that uses its advantages in digital industries to give back to the world and contribute to humanity's shared cause.

"To advance cultural heritage digitalization in more vivid ways and promote mutual learning and shared prosperity among different cultures." It is certain that the seeds sown by this program will provide strong support for the protection of humanity's cultural heritage. With technology-driven opportunities greater than ever, by working together and learning from one another, the future looks promising.