A Game for Peace player visits Dunhuang. [Photo/Gansu Economic Daily]

Dunhuang is using digital games to connect its Silk Road heritage with younger audiences. Titles like Game for Peace and Minecraft have recreated landmarks such as the Mogao Grottoes and Crescent Spring, turning cultural relics into interactive virtual experiences.

By early February, the two games had generated billions of online impressions. In recognition of these efforts, the Dunhuang cultural authorities awarded the Minecraft creative team.

This virtual engagement has translated into real-life tourism. Visitors inspired by in-game content have journeyed to Dunhuang to explore historical sites and game-themed lantern displays.

The local government supports this trend with half-price winter tickets and views game collaborations as a key digital strategy.

Experts regard the synergy as a milestone in cultural preservation. A tourism scholar from Northwest Normal University said that such collaborations merge cultural accuracy with interactive entertainment, unlike previous relationships between traditional culture and gaming, which remained surface-level.

A Dunhuang official added that the initiatives align with the "Digital Dunhuang" project, which has already digitized 300 cave murals. Game-based creation is seen as a promising extension of this database, ensuring the millennia-old legacy continues to thrive in both virtual and physical realms.