Increasing use of digitisation and technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are to be used in China's heritage sector to deliver smart museums that have the capabilities to reach more people.

The plans were announced at the recent Digital China Summit by Guan Qiang, deputy head of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). Guan said the organisation was promoting the use of AI, VR, augmented reality, immersion display and smart guidance to the country's fast-growing cultural heritage sector. China had less than 350 museums in 1978 and now has more than 5,000.

"Cultural heritage resources should take the express train of digital technology to reach more people," said Guan, who added that the NCHA is building a nationwide database of cultural relics and that big data is being increasingly used in cultural heritage protection.

Guan was joined in his appreciation of the importance of technology by Wang Xudong, new curator of the Palace Museum in Beijing (also known as the Forbidden City). Digitisation started at the museum in the late 1990s, and Wang said this had helped build a stronger connection to its audience while minimising damage to cultural relics.

The Palace Museum was willing to work with other facilities to promote digitisation in museums and world cultural heritage sites, said Wang Xudong.

According to Guan Qiang, China owns 767,000 sites of immovable cultural relics, and more than 100 million pieces of movable artefacts, as well as huge numbers of relics in the hands of private collectors.