China’s Forbidden City comes to life in VR
Ms. Zhang’s unlikely enthusiasm was directed at a new exhibition at Beijing’s Forbidden City that depicts an archaeological site in Jingdezhen, a small city in southeast China whose name is synonymous with fine porcelain. The virtual-reality production is derived from more than 2,500 high-definition photos that museum researchers took in Jingdezhen amid ruins of the kilns where the porcelain was baked for the benefit of dynastic rulers.
The exhibition, called “Porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasty Imperial Kilns: Archaeological Finds at the Palace Museum and in Jingdezhen,” opened on Oct. 26 and runs until Feb. 26 (the Forbidden City houses the Palace Museum).
After strapping on the special black glasses, visitors roam around a virtual replica of the 14,000-square-foot Jingdezhen site, “seeing” the ruins as an audio guide describes the site. Museum officials warn visitors to keep within the boundaries of the 40-square-foot virtual-reality room, obeying a blue warning light or risk bumping into a wall.
In July, the museum announced it would cooperate with the internet giant Tencent on long-term digital projects.
See the full story here: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/10/31/forbidden-city-museum-brings-archaeology-to-life-with-virtual-reality/