Some ancient buildings and dwellings in Quzhou are programed by data acquisition and 3D modeling technologies to restore the accurate data for future repairs. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Quzhou city – located in East China's Zhejiang province – is applying a tech-savvy approach to restore its ancient buildings.

Among the cutting-edge methods being used is oblique photography technology to carry out data acquisition and 3D modeling for the city's archives, according to local media on April 27.

The city has reportedly developed a new approach to preservation and storage of its heritage. As a result, when an ancient building is damaged, craftsmen can restore it by examining the digital archives.

The Wutong Ancestor Hall – located in Jiuhua town, Kecheng district – is the main venue demonstrating elements of China's 24 Solar Terms, which have been officially recognized as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage item. Currently, 3D files with a high resolution, have been completed and stored in the "Digital Ancient Architecture Management Platform".

The Digital Technology R&D center of the Southeast Digital Economy Research Institute provides technical support for the digital archives of the ancient buildings.

Hong Han, a member of the R&D team, said that nowadays there was no need to go into the field to get measurements of the structures. Now, it only takes the opening a computer, for the accurate data to be accessed.

To date, more than 360 ancient buildings from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) have been recorded in the archives.