'Cosmos in a Nutshell' revives Kaihua Temple murals

Step into the “Cosmos in a Nutshell” exhibition and experience the millennia-old grandeur of Kaihua Temple in Gaoping, Shanxi Province through immersive VR.

Originally built in 571, Kaihua Temple has been repaired and maintained across successive dynasties, preserving architectural elements from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644), and Qing (1644-1911) periods. The main hall, dating to the Song Dynasty, still retains colorful painted decorations on its beams. Inside, murals painted in 1096 primarily depict Buddhist stories while also vividly portraying scenes of everyday life during the Song era.

The entrance to the “Cosmos in a Nutshell” exhibition at Shenzhen Museum’s history and folk culture division. Photos from Renmin Wenbo

Visitors explore Kaihua Temple’s architecture and murals using VR headsets. 

The murals are grand in composition and rich in content. They feature numerous finely rendered figures with lifelike detail and brightly colored clothing that conveys texture and aesthetic refinement. These works are monumental — comparable in narrative scope to the famous “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” painting but more than 60 times larger.

The exhibition’s title, “Cosmos in a Nutshell,” is drawn from a Buddhist image — placing Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed — symbolizing the idea of containing a vast universe within a tiny space and reflecting the murals’ comprehensive vision.

A visitor admires a digital artwork at the exhibition.

Replica of a section of the Kaihua Temple murals. 

The exhibition presents digital recreations of the temple’s architecture and murals, based on 20 years of research by Tsinghua University’s School of Architecture, with support from more cultural-heritage and digital-art organizations. 

“We hope this exhibition can break the boundaries of time and space through digital technology, allowing the aesthetic of Song architecture and the unique charm of the ancient temple to be revitalized,” said Huang Chen, director of the Shenzhen Museum. “This is an innovative practice of empowering cultural heritage with technology, and, more importantly, a way to bring cultural relics to life.”

A model of the main hall of the Kaihua Temple. 

Reconstructed model of a gate tower depicted in the Kaihua Temple mural.

According to Renmin Wenbo, one of the exhibition organizers, visitors wearing VR headsets can follow a digital guide — the abbot “Qingbao” of Kaihua Temple — on a 23-minute VR journey that “returns” them to the Northern Song Dynasty and lets them “walk” through the mural scenes. Through this interactive experience, static cultural relics are reanimated in the virtual world and can strike an emotional chord with contemporary audiences.

Dates: Through Nov. 30

Tickets: 49 yuan per person (various concessions available)

Venue: Shenzhen Museum’s history and folk culture division, Jintian Road, Futian District (深圳博物馆金田路馆-历史民俗)

Metro: Line 2 or 4 to Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B

A poster of the exhibition.