Shaanxi History Museum hosts Wenbo Forum on 20 October

Shaanxi History Museum held the 65th Wenbo Forum in Xi'an, China, on 20 October 2026, focusing on artificial intelligence and cultural heritage. The museum's Chinese name is used in official records, while the English-language institution is identified here by its established English name.

Wenbo Forum brought AI and heritage together

The Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau organised the public academic lecture, and the museum hosted it in the second-floor lecture room of its Social Education Department. The museum announced the event on 21 October, one day after it took place. Its official event report identifies the session as the 65th edition of the Wenbo Forum.

Shu Zhan, vice-president of Tencent Sustainable Social Value and head of the Tencent SSV Digital Culture Laboratory, gave the lecture. The subject was presented as AI for good, with a focus on making cultural heritage visible, understandable and protected. The programme examined digital solutions for cultural institutions, including data foundations, knowledge bases and revised working processes.

The lecture also presented examples linked to digital heritage work. These included the Digital Central Axis project in Beijing, artificial intelligence research connected with Sanxingdui archaeology, and the use of digital methods in the study and interpretation of oracle-bone inscriptions. The report said the session considered how technology could support conservation, research and communication with the public.

Shaanxi History Museum connects technology with its collections

The event matched the museum's role as a comprehensive historical museum with responsibilities spanning conservation, research, exhibitions and public education. Its English-language museum history and collection guide places the building north-west of the Tang-dynasty Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in southern Xi'an.

Construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1991. The museum opened to the public on 20 June 1991, and its architecture combines a central pavilion with tower buildings at the corners in a Tang-style complex. Its collections cover more than one million years of history and include bronzes, ceramic figures, gold and silver objects, and Tang dynasty tomb murals.

That setting gives the October lecture a specific institutional context. Artificial intelligence was discussed not as a separate technology event, but as a tool for handling the same objects, records and historical narratives that the museum conserves and interprets. The forum therefore connected a current debate about digital methods with the museum's long-standing work on Shaanxi's material history.

What the October forum means for a museum visit

The lecture was a past event, so visitors arriving after 20 October 2026 will not find the 65th Wenbo Forum taking place during the remaining days of October. The event report does not announce a continuing public exhibition or a repeat session connected with the lecture.

Visiting Shaanxi History Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The 65th Wenbo Forum took place on 20 October 2026 in the second-floor lecture room of the Social Education Department at Shaanxi History Museum.
• The forum has ended: the museum report records the lecture as completed on 20 October 2026, with no continuing session stated.
• The main museum is at 91 East Xiaozhai Road in Xi'an, north-west of the Tang-dynasty Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.
• The collection and architecture include Tang-style buildings, bronzes, ceramic figures, gold and silver objects, and Tang dynasty tomb murals.
• China's official language is Mandarin Chinese and its national currency is the renminbi.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Shaanxi History Museum

When did the Wenbo Forum take place at Shaanxi History Museum?

The 65th Wenbo Forum took place on 20 October 2026 in the museum's Social Education Department lecture room.

What is Shaanxi History Museum?

It is a comprehensive historical museum in Xi'an whose building opened to the public on 20 June 1991 and whose collections cover more than one million years of history.

Where is Shaanxi History Museum and how do you get there?

The main museum is at 91 East Xiaozhai Road in southern Xi'an, north-west of the Tang-dynasty Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.