The Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute in Gansu Province continuously updates its methods of cultural relic protection, safeguarding historical and cultural heritage treasures and promoting cultural confidence and self-improvement. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during his inspection in Tianshui, Gansu that the four major grottoes in China are treasures of Chinese civilization, all of which have important historical and cultural value. He hopes that cultural relics workers will continue the spirit of Mogao, devote themselves to protecting national treasures, and make greater contributions to inheriting and innovating excellent traditional Chinese culture and enhancing the influence of Chinese culture. Amidst the vast expanse of forests and towering cliffs. As one of the four major grottoes in China, the Maijishan Grottoes located in Maiji District, Tianshui City, Gansu Province, were first built during the Later Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. After more than 10 dynasties of excavation and repair, there are currently 221 niches, 3938 pieces of 10632 clay and stone sculptures, and over 1000 square meters of murals. In 2014, Maijishan Grottoes were listed in the The World Heritage List as a site in the "Silk Road: the road network of Chang'an Tianshan Corridor". To protect the Maijishan Grottoes, cultural heritage workers stand firm in the mountains, accompanying the Silent Caves, constantly updating their methods of cultural relic protection, and safeguarding these precious historical and cultural treasures. Devoted to repairing and inheriting the historical and cultural context of the cave, several restorers tightly grasped the handle of the knife and lightly scraped the soil, allowing the murals and sculptures to regain their former glory. This is the daily routine of the staff at the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute. The efforts to repair the accumulated drops have been ongoing for decades at the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute. Zhang Bin is one of these restorers. Every time he enters the cave, he takes pride in the unique artistic value of the Maijishan Grottoes. Gently pinch and blow the balloon at the repair site to clean the dust on the surface, and Zhang Bin began his daily repair work. He skillfully dripped mixed solution, filled and smoothed the repair area, and made the surface old... In the morning, Zhang Bin only filled a gap in the completed sculpture. Every step must be meticulous and without any mistakes, "he said. Each statue and mural has different manufacturing dates and materials used, so it is necessary to consider them one by one when restoring them. Based on the characteristics of different sculptures and murals, restorers will specifically search for suitable soil from the surrounding strata of Maiji Mountain, and even carefully select the water used for the soil. After decades of exploration, repairers have found appropriate methods to repair hollows, peeling armor, and other issues, and can restore the old as it is. Inside the cave, sunlight enters through the window, and the sculpture solidifies an immortal beauty; Outside the cave, a red boardwalk of over 1300 meters welcomes and sees off tourists coming and going. The plank road has become the lifeline of the Maijishan Grottoes Yue Yongqiang, deputy director of the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, carefully observes every time he walks on the boardwalk. This boardwalk not only embodies the hard work of the builders, but also reflects the rise and fall of the Maijishan Grottoes. In 1941, scholar Feng Guorui came to the foot of Maiji Mountain and saw that most of the boardwalks were collapsed and destroyed, and the western cliff was completely inaccessible. The eastern cliff was only partially accessible from caves, and many caves could only be viewed from afar. After the establishment of New China, the cultural preservation work of Maijishan Grottoes ushered in a new era. In October 1952, Dunhuang cultural relics protection worker Chang Shuhong led a northwest exploration team to survey the Maijishan Grottoes. With the assistance of the local government, they newly built and reinforced more than 100 meters of the West Cliff boardwalk. After the restoration and reinforcement by the Maijishan Survey Team of the former Ministry of Culture and the Maijishan Grottoes Cultural Management Institute, the boardwalk finally connected all the caves. Since 1977, the Maijishan Grottoes have undergone an 8-year comprehensive maintenance and reinforcement project, constructing a new steel-concrete structure boardwalk to ensure smooth access to all caves. Following the boardwalk, Yue Yongqiang climbed up to the Scattered Flower Tower, which was over 80 meters above the ground. For over 40 years, we have continuously maintained and reinforced the boardwalk, providing basic conditions for the protection, research, and promotion of the Maijishan Grottoes culture, "said Yue Yongqiang. Technology assists in precise protection of caves in Maijishan Grottoes, where generations of guardians protect the mountains, pathways, and caves. The traditional "spraying, anchoring, sticking, and supporting" techniques are constantly improved, and the process technology is iteratively upgraded. Now, high-tech analytical instruments such as X-ray diffractometers and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers are also adding assistance, helping research teams analyze the materials and processes used in the production of sculptures and murals, and providing scientific basis for developing accurate protection plans. Tianshui spans the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins, and the area where the Maijishan Grottoes are located has lush vegetation and high air humidity. For people, the mountains and rivers here are beautiful and the environment is pleasant; For the Maijishan Grottoes, the high amount of water vapor has brought "troubles" to the protection of cultural relics. In order to do a good job in protecting grottoes, the research team needs to grasp the environmental characteristics of each cave in real time. Under a statue, there is an inconspicuous white cylinder. This is a sensor, the size of two No. 5 batteries, responsible for monitoring the temperature and humidity inside the cave. The sensor will transmit the collected data to an instrument resembling a "white tissue box". This' white tissue box 'is an IoT gateway that can process data and upload it to the cloud, ultimately presenting it on the' Maijishan Cave Microenvironment Monitoring 'platform screen. In front of the "Maijishan Cave Microenvironment Monitoring" platform at the foot of the mountain, Xu Peng, a staff member of the research institute, was staring intently at the screen, checking the situation at various points. This platform has been in operation since 2017. Through the platform, Xu Peng can real-time grasp the key data of monitoring objects such as the cave itself, the microenvironment inside the cave, the boardwalk, and the cliff, and can also provide suggestions for the management of the front based on the situation of tourists. With so many caves and locations, the efficiency of human monitoring and inspection is too low. With this platform, duty personnel can maintain communication with the caves on the mountain Xu Peng said. At present, the Maijishan Grottoes have established a cultural relic risk monitoring and early warning system based on cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and big data. There are dedicated testing instruments for carbon dioxide, soil temperature, rock fractures, and light exposure to ensure that potential risks can be detected and disposed of in a timely manner, greatly enhancing the risk management and control capabilities of the Maijishan Grottoes. Digital collection brings a new experience. In a niche of Cave 4 of Maijishan Grottoes, Sun Yuan, Deputy Director of the Digital Center of Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, and several colleagues are conducting digital collection. A cave of a few square meters often requires taking tens of thousands of photos. Even if a cloud drifts by and the light changes, we must pay attention to whether the quality of the collection has changed Sun Yuan operated the equipment on the slide rail and scaffold while closely monitoring the collector, constantly paying attention to the impact of changes in light. The materials collected by Sun Yuan and his colleagues will be sent to the Dunhuang Academy thousands of miles away for splicing and combination. In 2017, the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute was placed under the overall management of Dunhuang Academy, and the digitalization work of Maijishan Grottoes entered a rapid development track. Up to now, with the help of computers, high-precision photography, 3D scanning, etc., the research team has conducted detailed digital records of more than 10 caves, and carried out digital acquisition of key parts of dozens of caves, laying the foundation for constructing high-precision 3D digital models. Digital technology has also brought more possibilities for the "going global" of Maijishan Grottoes art. This summer, the "Oriental Smile - Maijishan Stone Cave Exhibition" was held at Nanshan Museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Some of the sculptures in the exhibition are based on the digital research results of the Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, produced using 3D printing technology and replicated in equal proportions. The grand scale of ancient construction has left rare artistic treasures for contemporary people; The addition of digital technology has brought more opportunities for people to appreciate these treasures. Now, visitors only need to log in to the "Cloud Maiji" platform, swipe their phone screens, and freely shuttle between caves, viewing the details of statues and murals, and experiencing the unique charm of cave art. We use digital methods to protect cultural heritage in order to allow more people to appreciate the art of the Maijishan Grottoes Sun Yuan said. (New Society)