Regeneration of Liangzhu culture: multimedia exhibition, simulated restoration, innovative cultural products, nearby area integration, virtual reality and augmented reality

The article situates Liangzhu as the earliest mature monarchical civilisation in Chinese history, with defining features such as a planned capital, hydraulic works, water transport, advanced rice agriculture, jade industry, and durable architecture. Following the creation of the Liangzhu Ancient City Remains Park (2019) and the Liangzhu Museum (2018), regeneration is needed to connect the public to this heritage and support cultural and economic development. Current exhibitions and integrations remain nascent, and adoption of VR/AR is limited. The paper aims to recommend improvements for exhibitions—especially multimedia and simulated restorations—and to identify approaches for innovative cultural products and integration with nearby areas, exploring a comprehensive regeneration model for Liangzhu-like archaeological cultures.

The review covers: (1) exhibition and planning precedents for large and earthen archaeological sites, including Liangzhu Museum design inspirations and the Vanke Liangzhu Cultural Village as an example of integrating archaeological concepts with urban planning (Garden City principles). Liangzhu Ancient City Remains Park is discussed within broader scholarship on balancing preservation, exhibition, and park functions. (2) Multimedia exhibitions (including VR/AR), restored simulations, and ecological signposting used at Liangzhu and comparable sites (Sanxingdui, Yinxu, Daming Palace, Nara), reflecting trends toward immersive, interactive experiences. (3) Innovative cultural products: analyses from Sanxingdui and others identify shortcomings—unclear targeting, limited product types, weak culture–function integration, and narrow sales channels—serving as lessons for Liangzhu. (4) Integration with nearby areas: literature stresses spirit–space relations, preserving links between relocated communities and original environments, and involving locals in site management and services. The review identifies unresolved issues in multimedia and simulated restorations, cultural products, nearby area integration, and VR/AR practices at Liangzhu.

The study synthesizes the author’s field observations at Liangzhu sites and museum with an extensive review of English and Chinese literature on multimedia exhibitions, simulated restorations, innovative cultural products, community integration, and VR/AR applications in archaeology. A qualitative, open-ended questionnaire (nine questions) was conducted with a Nanjing Museum manager involved in Liangzhu archaeology to gather authoritative insights on current and planned uses of VR, AR, and simulations. To mitigate known drawbacks of open, single-interview designs (e.g., processing burden, lack of prompts), the questionnaire was kept concise with clearly worded items and guidance for 1–2 paragraph responses. Literature was grouped into: (1) strategies for large/earthen site exhibitions; (2) design/marketing of innovative cultural products (with Sanxingdui as benchmark); (3) methods for integrating nearby communities via spirit–space relations and participation; (4) technical bases and design principles for VR/AR (software/hardware, tracking, user experience).

- Exhibition strategies for earthen and large sites: - Multimedia: Recommend large-scale digital lighting on hills and excavation fields; vapour curtains/waterfall projections leveraging Liangzhu’s waterways to enhance nighttime and immersive displays, inspired by Xi’an cases. - Simulated restorations: Two overarching approaches—(1) outline architectural profiles (e.g., minimal earth-brown concrete reconstructions like Danfeng Gate) to convey scale while avoiding speculative details; (2) emphasize column structures via plinths, shallow-root cylindrical bushes (as at Nara Heijo), or half-height walls/columns to communicate spatial organization. Suggest metal frame profiles for buildings where details are uncertain, signaling epistemic humility. - Landscape/terrain signaling: Use low-maintenance vegetation and materials to interpret large areas—e.g., plant rice to indicate former water channels/bodies where reflooding is infeasible; use colored aggregates or reversible shallow-root vegetation to delineate water features (as in Daming Palace’s Shaoyang Courtyard). - Innovative cultural products: - Current motifs include surface iconography, literal shape/function transfer (e.g., jade cong cups), and cartoon protagonists. Risks of stalling innovation remain. - Propose systematic theme–characterisation frameworks (e.g., a “Liangzhu religious anthology” across comics/toys; series of jade-bi/cong items by elements/materials) to guide extraction of cultural elements and marketing. - Development modes: individual designer-driven innovation; enterprise authorization with funding and 3D modeling/printing; museum-authorized channels linking products to exhibits and expert explanations. - Marketing and customer research: refresh product lines seasonally; study demographics and evolving tastes; integrate retail with exhibit comparisons and experiential digital interactions; diversify higher-end offerings beyond literal imitations which lack novelty and are overpriced. - Integration with nearby areas: - Balance Liangzhu cultural expression with authentic Zhejiang folk cultures from original villages (respect customs, historic facilities, landscapes, flora); embed spirit–space relations by researching community memories and spatial nodes to shape new public spaces and events. - Employ local residents in site/visitor services, supported by training if needed, to strengthen identity, reduce onboarding costs, and improve livelihoods; avoid over-commercialization of original lands (lesson from Qingcheng Mountain). - VR recommendations: - Offsite: Build VR models referencing geographic frames (roads, water channels); combine fixed viewpoints with free navigation to optimize data and usability; LOD and rendering strategies reduce file sizes. - Onsite: Prefer separated control console and display for comfort and crowding mitigation; support both headsets and large displays to broaden access. - Applications: Use VR for excavation/preservation planning and documentation; integrate GIS for stratigraphic and temporal layering; adopt hybrid VR for museums (panoramic hall images plus high-detail 3D relic models) to enable offsite access, reduce data loads, and manage visitor pressure. - AR recommendations: - Edge-based tracking for accurate outdoor registration by matching detected edges (Canny-based) to 3D models; supports half-transparent overlays and is robust to lighting/texture variability. Where remains lack edges (earthen), add lightweight profile frames to aid registration. - Location-based tracking (GPS + device sensors) for navigation overlays (direction/distance) in parks. - New themes: expand beyond current topics to agriculture, food, social hierarchy, transport, graves, crafts, dam/building construction; leverage Liangzhu hieroglyphics for site-wide AR narratives; bird’s-eye views with drill-down interactive scenes. - Integrations: Register AR to simulated restoration sculptures (metal frames) via key-point sensing; use AR in experiential archaeology bases (excavation/repair guidance); embed AR into cultural products (e.g., miniature site maps with model triggers) and public spaces (statues as AR anchors) while weighing maintenance and device access.

The recommendations address the core challenge of regenerating a vast, earthen Neolithic culture whose remains are visually subtle and dispersed. Multimedia and simulated restorations convey scale and spatial logic without speculative detail, enhancing comprehension while safeguarding authenticity. Vegetation and materials provide low-cost, large-area interpretive cues. Systematizing innovative cultural products aligns design with cultural themes and customer preferences, sustaining novelty and market viability and strengthening public engagement with Liangzhu’s material culture. Integrating nearby areas through spirit–space research and community participation fosters social sustainability, resident identity, and heritage stewardship while reducing pressure on the park. VR extends access and supports documentation, conservation planning, and layered interpretation (with GIS), while user-centered interface choices improve comfort and inclusivity. AR’s edge-based tracking enables precise outdoor overlays independent of unstable satellite positioning, making it well-suited to Liangzhu’s context and adaptable across exhibits, products, interactive education, and public spaces. Collectively, these strategies connect Liangzhu’s productivity- and landscape-focused heritage to contemporary experiences in an educational yet leisurely manner, aligning with the study’s aim to create an integrative regeneration model for similar large, earthen archaeological cultures.

Exhibition and regeneration of Liangzhu culture should remain grounded in scholarly results while embracing multimedia, simulated restorations, innovative cultural products, community integration, and VR/AR. Given Liangzhu’s secular, material character, exhibitions can be objective and relaxing, focusing on productivity, daily life, and environmental transformation. A diversified, interactive regeneration ecosystem—encompassing onsite and offsite digital experiences, community-centered public spaces, and market-responsive cultural products—can enhance educational value and leisure quality. The paper highlights AR’s promise, particularly geometry-based registration that is independent of satellite positioning, enabling broad integration across exhibits, products, public spaces, and activities. Future developments in technology and industry may further transform methods; wider academic and public input—especially into underused assets like Liangzhu hieroglyphics—can expand expressions and deepen understanding. The recommendations aim to poetically revive Liangzhu culture and inform regeneration for other large, earthen Neolithic sites.

- Empirical input relies on a single, open-ended questionnaire with one museum manager, which may limit breadth and introduce response biases, though mitigated by careful design and concise questions. - Many recommendations are based on comparative literature and the author’s observations rather than longitudinal evaluations or quantitative visitor studies. - The youth of the Liangzhu park and museum means current practices are preliminary; suggested improvements are prospective. - Adoption feasibility depends on contemporary Chinese technological and industrial capacities; generalizability and sustainability may change with future advances. - AR edge-based registration requires identifiable edges; earthen remains may need added frames, which entails interventions and maintenance considerations. - Community integration proposals depend on local governance, resources, and stakeholder alignment; risks of over-commercialization must be managed.