Digital exhibition endeavors to bring Silk Road history to life

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 9, 2016, shows the Crescent Spring scenic area in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)

LANZHOU, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A digital exhibition platform has been set up in Dunhuang, a city along the Silk Road in northwest China's Gansu Province, showcasing the country's 40 world heritage sites and cultural relics along the Silk Road, the Dunhuang Academy said Friday.

The online platform, operated by the academy, offers the public a glimpse of 27 world cultural heritage sites and 13 key cultural relic sites under state protection in Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang and Henan.

Popular historical sites viewable on the platform include the terra-cotta warriors, Mogao Grottoes and Kizil Grottoes, said Wu Jian, director of the academy's conservation and research department.

"This platform is a new endeavor to protect and promote traditional culture, and bring the cultural relics back to life virtually," said Wu.

The Dunhuang Academy will strive to include more ancient cultural sites and offer multilingual services through the website or mobile app, Wu added.