An Era in Jinling：A Digital Art Exhibition

An Era in Jinling：A Digital Art Exhibition: An Interactive Landscape of Nanjing

An Era in Jinling, painted by Qing-dynasty court artist Feng Ning, is widely hailed as “the most representative surviving painting of Nanjing.” The scroll vividly depicts the urban landscape and social life of people from all walks of society in Song-dynasty Nanjing a thousand years ago. As a precious legacy that embodies the wisdom and cultural landscape of ancient China, it has been regarded as “an encyclopedic portrayal of Jinling’s history, culture, and folk customs in its heyday.”

Taking An Era in Jinling as its blueprint, Deji Art Museum revitalises this cultural heritage through digital technology, transforming it into a tangible, contemporary experience. The exhibition pioneers a world-first interactive “character-into-painting, real-time tracking” mode of viewing. Within an immersive space formed by an ultra-high-definition LED screen 110 metres long and 3.6 metres high, visitors embark on an interactive journey that travels back a millennium to revisit an ancient civilisation.

Upon entering the gallery, visitors receive a smart wristband. They then use their own phones or devices provided by the museum to select one of nine original Song-dynasty avatars, each representing a different age and social background. Visitors “step into” the painting from a first-person perspective, and wander through the streets of Song-era Nanjing, encountering 533 residents of the city, and listen as these characters share stories of everyday life, where the pulse of civilization quietly unfolds.

By rethinking how knowledge is shared, the exhibition creates an immersive experience that allows audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds to connect and resonate with Chinese culture. A layered system of interactive feedback guides visitors forward, encouraging exploration of the many facets of traditional Chinese culture. Along the way, they can search for mysterious figures, unlock hidden easter eggs, collect achievement badges, and even spark glittering fireworks or release wishing lanterns over “Jinling City.” Through self-directed exploration, visitors gain new perspectives, step into a dynamic panorama of ancient Chinese civilisation, and experience the enduring charm and vitality of Chinese culture.

In November 2023, An Era in Jinling: A Digital Art Exhibition was invited to Boston as part of the “Nanjing Week” cultural exchange programme. In May 2024, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of China–France diplomatic relations and the China–France Year of Culture and Tourism, the exhibition travelled to Paris, opening a new chapter in cultural exchange between the two countries.

In November 2025, during the 43rd UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, UNESCO convened a special session on “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Museums.” Deji Art Museum, as the only Chinese museum invited, joined directors from several leading international institutions to discuss the practice and vision behind An Era in Jinling: A Digital Art Exhibition, sharing Chinese museums’ innovative experience in digital and intelligent transformation and offering a “Chinese solution” for the preservation and renewal of global cultural heritage in the digital age.