Photo: Xinhua

Members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy pose for a group photo after work at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. At the Longmen Grottoes Academy in Henan, a young and dedicated team is responsible for preserving and monitoring Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by creating digital archives of its Buddhist sculptures.

Since 2005, Longmen Grottoes Academy has started the work of laser scanning and high-definition photography to preserve the 1,500-year-old Chinese stone carvings in digital form. In recent years, the team has led dozens of national-level and provincial-level cultural relic restoration and conservation projects and contributed to the preservation and monitoring of major cultural heritages including the Silk Road and the Grand Canal of the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.

The team is the recipient of this year's China Youth May Fourth Medal, the country's top honor awarded to youths. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

A China-US table tennis friendly match is pictured at Shanghai University of Sport in Shanghai, east China, April 13, 2026. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Zhang Guofeng, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, adjusts scanning devices at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Liu Rui, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, checks for water leakage points with an infrared thermal imaging camera at a cave of Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Li Peijun, a member of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, restores a Buddha head at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, Dec. 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

Rui Zihang (L) and Li Peijun, both members of the conservation, research and monitoring team under Longmen Grottoes Academy, restore cultural relics at a conservation center of Longmen Grottoes Academy in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province, May 12, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

A drone photo taken on May 13, 2026 shows tourists visiting Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, central China's Henan Province. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)