Virtual Wu Liang Shrine Remastered (2.0)

(Chinese Version Coming Soon, Too!)

For fourteen years now, my popular computer reconstruction of the Wuzhaishan cemetery (Wu Family Shrines) of the second century CE in northeast China has been used in Chinese art history classrooms around the world for the teaching of Han art, archaeology, and narrative illustration. It was originally created between 2002 and 2005 for the exhibition “Recarving China’s Past” which was on display at the Princeton University Art Museum and was accompanied by a catalog of the same title. I created the “Wu Family Shrines 1.0” with 3D modeling software and authored the virtual tour in QuickTime VR. Apple eventually dropped support for this technology and it has become harder and harder to run the reconstruction on modern computers. Back when I wrote it, smartphones didn’t even exist.

So, now I have taken the time to “remaster” the entire virtual tour for modern technology. I went back and found nearly all the original computer assets, and authored them in 3D Vista Pro. The tour should now stream from within most major browsers, on Macs and PCs, as well as on tablets and smartphones, though it will always look best on a computer, and some bugs remain on mobile devices. It will also run on virtual reality gear, including Oculus Touch, Oculus Go, Vive, Vive Pro, and Google Cardboard, though not all features are available in virtual reality.

Also, given the increases in broadband streaming capability, I was able to vastly expand the materials included in the virtual tour. The tour now begins with a narrated movie introducing the site. Also included now are all the detailed rubbings from Shrines 1 and 2, as well as an audio commentary that reads out the information panels (this can be muted). My graduate student Li Xiang is also at work making a Chinese version of this new “Wu Liang Shrine 2.0” for even greater accessibility. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the tour page. CLICK HERE.