An emotional connection
East of Shixia village, in northeastern Beijing's Miyun district, visitors can step through a "time gate" where old photographs of the Great Wall come to life, question a digital Ming Dynasty general, and watch ancient weapons emerge from a virtual encyclopedia. These experiences await at three newly opened digital centers in Gubeikou, Yaoqiaoyu and Guanmen.
Miyun has rich Great Wall resources, with over 180 kilometers of Ming Dynasty walls and 61 registered fortresses. However, there is a problem.
"Many of its fortresses have disappeared above ground, leaving only ruins," says He Ding, an associate professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, who led the centers' design.
His team spent a year on the project to create an emotional connection.
"The hardest part was not the technology but designing the content — getting the narrative logic and interactive details right," he says.
They combed through archives in China and abroad, searching historical texts and maps for clues about the frontier world of Miyun.
For instance, one Ming text recorded the distribution of Mongol tribes north of Miyun, he says.
"We thus added two Mongol chieftains to our digital scroll, because we want visitors to understand that the frontier was a multiethnic place," he explains.
Inside the Gubeikou center, the "time gate" uses AIGC technology to bring old photographs to life. Black-and-white images of Gubeikou begin to move, vividly re-creating a scene of merchants passing through the site in bygone days.
Beside the "time gate" stands a digital avatar of Qi Jiguang, the legendary Ming Dynasty general. The digital general's appearance draws from Ming Dynasty portraits, and his manner is calm and resolute. Visitors can ask him anything from how the Great Wall was built to how fortresses were defended, and he answers in real time.
While Gubeikou gives visitors a broad sweep of Miyun's defense network, Yaoqiaoyu zooms in on a cluster of fortresses, and Guanmen examines individual fortresses up close.
"We want visitors to go from a wide view to a narrow view, step by step," He Ding says.
Since opening, the centers have boosted local tourism. Out-of-town visitors make up a large share, especially on weekends.
"Families often spend half a day or a full day visiting all three centers," He Ding says.
He says the team will keep upgrading. "We plan to enrich Qi Jiguang's knowledge base, add more digital characters, and develop a mobile experience, so visitors can continue their tour even after they go home."
