Tencent launched the largest virtual urban historical landscape created to date called Microcosm, an immersive experience that brings Beijing’s Central Axis to life online. The project launch coincides with the addition of the Central Axis to the World Heritage List by UNESCO. 

Microcosm, which can be accessed via the Digital Central Axis Weixin Mini Program, offers users an immersive guided tour of the landmark that they can enjoy at their own pace. Guided by avatars, anyone with a smartphone can explore the 3D virtual replica of the heritage site in the Chinese capital. Users can explore the Digital Central Axis throughout its history, even areas and scenes that may have been damaged or are no longer visible in real life.

The Mini Program also provides a platform for the Digital Watchman project, a crowdsourced conservation initiative launched in December 2023. By simply scanning QR codes, taking photos and uploading inspection reports through the Mini Program, locals and visitors can become citizen stewards, logging signs of deterioration or damage. Citizen conservation reports make it easier to maintain a large heritage site like the Central Axis.

The Axis stretches approximately 7.8 kilometres from north to south in the capital city, reflecting Chinese imperial design and urban planning that began in the 13th century. The site includes 15 heritage landmarks such as the Forbidden City, the Bell and Drum Towers, Jingshan Hill, and the Temple of Heaven. 

Microcosm took 3 years to create, using high-definition scanning, modelling, PCG auto-generation, and other game technologies. A sophisticated five-level map mode covers 200km x 200km and includes 300,000 plants and 2.2 million buildings, as well as hills and water features. In all, the virtual space contains over 15 terabytes of 3D data and a total of 10.4 billion facets.

According to Tencent, the Digital Central Axis project shows the power of big data, cloud computing, gametech, AI, and knowledge maps in conservation and heritage projects, helping to engage the public and protect more of the world’s cultural treasures in the digital era.

Access Microcosm here

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