Visitors to the Lion Grove Garden, one of the classical gardens in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province are now greeted by an unexpected encounter: a digital tour guide who appears to have traveled through time to introduce the garden. Artificial intelligence technology and multimedia and lighting equipment have been used to create a vivid landscape painting within the classical garden setting.
In recent years, Suzhou has been steadily advancing the digital transformation of its classical gardens, providing richer and more accurate data for classical garden surveying while breaking down temporal and spatial barriers. This digital transformation offers new ideas and methods for the protection, management, and proper utilization of classical gardens.
Photo shows the Humble Administrator’s Garden in summer in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Leng Wen)
In the morning, Mei Hong, a senior engineer at the Lingering Garden Management Office in Suzhou, began his work by uploading the latest surveying data collected over recent days to a digital information platform for the protection and monitoring of classical gardens.
"Leveraging digital technology, we can conduct dynamic monitoring of all living organisms and structural components within the gardens," said 59-year-old Mei, who has dedicated over two decades to garden monitoring and protection work.
As nine classical gardens in Suzhou, including the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lingering Garden, and the Master-of-Nets Garden, were successively inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list, the city has established a comprehensive world cultural heritage monitoring information system. It has systematically collected digital data on distinctive elements such as decorative windows, paving, furnishings, brick carvings, and gatehouses of classical gardens, achieving millimeter-level precision.
Suzhou has also created detailed digital archives for elements of classical gardens, regularly updated surveying data, and built a dynamic database.
"We aim to digitize every garden, ensuring the complete digitization of every plaque, every couplet, and every wooden carving in Suzhou’s classical gardens," said Zhu Haijun, director of the cooperation and exchange department at the Suzhou Municipal Gardening and Greening Bureau.
This digitization effort has proven particularly valuable in restoration work. According to Mei, Sushicaihua, a style of architectural decorative painting from Suzhou, was once widely used in buildings in classical gardens but has now virtually disappeared. Only one remnant survives at the Ruyu Pavilion, and even this piece faces deterioration due to humid climate conditions, with pigments flaking off and the painting becoming increasingly indistinct.
A restoration project for the architectural decorative painting of the Ruyu Pavilion, launched in February 2019, brought together dozens of experts from institutions including the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the Palace Museum. The project was completed after nearly two years of work.
Photo shows a scene created by digital technology at a classic garden in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Photo courtesy of a tourism company)
The complexity stemmed primarily from the lack of historical documentation and the near-extinction of Sushicaihua techniques, forcing restorers to rely on trial and error.
However, digital technology has now transformed this process. Workers create comprehensive "digital paintings" by documenting every step of restoration, recording painting styles, dimensions, materials used and procedural details.
This digitization has ensured that classical garden protection is now more targeted and science-based. "With this database, even after hundreds of years and regardless of the scale of future conservation work, we can still preserve the authentic classical gardens of Suzhou for future generations," Mei said.
Digital transformation has also breathed new life into these ancient gardens, enhancing visitor experiences.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden has launched a night tour program using digital light and shadow technology to offer visitors an immersive experience, with the Mountain View Tower in the garden serving as a key site.
In addition to creating digital night tour scenes at the Mountain View Tower, the garden has launched related digital products and a digital version of the tower, said Xue Zhijian, director of the Humble Administrator’s Garden Management Office. Users can simply log in an app and enjoy a 720-degree panoramic view of the tower virtually from home.
Over the past years, a number of new digital cultural experiences and products have emerged in Suzhou’s classical gardens, including a metaverse virtual project at the Lingering Garden and a 5G-enabled virtual reality tour program at the Lion Grove Garden.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0612/c90000-20326705.html