Case Details
Project in brief: Powered by EasyAR Mega, the Ming Tombs deployed an outdoor AR-glasses tour with high-precision positioning, spatially anchored content, and navigation. The project brings six centuries of history into the visitor's field of view while preserving the physical heritage site.
Use case: Outdoor AR interpretation at the Ming Tombs Device: XREAL Air 2 Ultra AR glasses Core experiences: AR wayfinding, a virtual guide, historical scene reconstruction, architectural interpretation, and ritual storytelling Field conditions: Summer ground temperatures above 45°C
Project Context: Bringing Six Centuries of History Back into View
The Ming Tombs combine monumental architecture, stone carvings, ritual spaces, and stories of imperial life across a large outdoor heritage site. Conventional signs and audio guides can explain individual objects, but they cannot easily show how ceremonies unfolded, how buildings were constructed, or how distant points relate to one another.
The AR-glasses tour turns this challenge into a continuous “smart navigation + immersive story” experience. At Changling, a virtual Ming-dynasty guide leads visitors through the vermilion gate; honor guards appear against the red walls and golden tiles; and historical figures, architecture, and ritual scenes return to their intended locations.
Implementation: Building a Spatial Map of the Tombs
The project team captured the Sacred Way, halls, architectural details, brick patterns, stone carvings, and other visual features with panoramic cameras. These observations were used to create a point-cloud map—a digital spatial representation that helps the system relate virtual content to the real heritage environment.
When visitors put on the AR glasses, onboard sensors read recognizable features in the surroundings. Golden floor bricks inside Ling'en Hall can help locate the visitor, while the stone censers at the Five Offerings can trigger the corresponding ritual interpretation. This makes navigation and content delivery responsive to both position and viewing direction.
EasyAR Mega keeps digital overlays aligned across the tomb complex, from the main gate to Fangcheng and Minglou. A three-dimensional exploded view of the “Jiangshan Yonggu” stone relief can be placed directly over the physical object so the layers of its Sumeru pedestal and dragon carvings remain in register as visitors move.
A shared spatial map supports continuous navigation and interpretation across an extensive outdoor heritage site.
Digital guides, models, and animations appear at project-defined landmarks instead of floating independently of the environment.
The experience adds interpretation without attaching screens, markers, or other equipment to the historic fabric.
Visitor Journey: History Revealed at Each Landmark
The tour is organized around the physical sequence of the site. Each stop uses a different form of spatial storytelling, allowing visitors to move from orientation and ceremony to architecture, cosmology, ritual, and historical figures without leaving the real setting.
Main Tomb Gate: Entering the Ceremonial World
Against the red walls and golden tiles of the main gate, the AR guide presents a virtual honor guard. Ranks of soldiers, drums, and horns introduce visitors to the scale and atmosphere of an imperial sacrificial ceremony.
Stele Pavilion: Architecture and Imperial Symbolism
At the Stele Pavilion, three-dimensional comparisons explain the double-eaved and single-eaved architectural forms and the rank represented by Changling's pavilion. A golden dragon then rises from the imperial stele, transforming a static inscription into a spatial account of power and symbolism.
Ling'en Hall: Reading Architecture Layer by Layer
Ling'en Hall is the architectural centerpiece of Changling and the largest surviving Ming-dynasty wooden structure in China. Its sixty nanmu pillars, approximately 14 meters tall, embody the extraordinary material and logistical demands of imperial construction.
EasyAR Mega brings these details into view through spatially aligned models. Visitors can inspect the nanmu pillars and explore an exploded view of the “Jiangshan Yonggu” stone relief, following its structure from the base to the carved motifs and dragon scales above.
Lingxing Gate and Five Offerings: Cosmology and Ritual
At Lingxing Gate, an AR star chart identifies Ziwei Star (Polaris) and explains the relationship between Changling's central axis and the “Emperor's Star.” The display adapts to daylight so the celestial markers remain legible in changing outdoor conditions.
At the Stone Five Offerings, animated flames and ritual visuals explain the objects' role in imperial burial ceremony. The reconstruction helps visitors understand how the static stone vessels once functioned within a larger ceremonial system.
Fangcheng and Minglou: Meeting a Historical Figure
At Fangcheng and Minglou, a virtual Zhu Di appears in imperial robes and recites his poetry while reflecting on his legacy. Placing the figure against Minglou connects a personal voice with the monumental architecture, giving visitors a more direct way into the site's history.
Field Performance: Operating in 45°C Summer Heat
Summer ground temperatures at the site can exceed 45°C, creating demanding conditions for an outdoor wearable experience. The XREAL Air 2 Ultra's electrochromic lenses can adjust their tint under strong sun or in shade, helping visitors see both the AR content and their physical surroundings.
EasyAR Mega's cloud-edge collaborative architecture distributes demanding tasks such as model rendering and data processing, reducing the load placed on the wearable display. The field deployment therefore tests the full combination of mapping, positioning, content delivery, device visibility, and outdoor operations—not merely a standalone AR demonstration.
Project Value: More Interpretation, Less Physical Intervention
For visitors, navigation and interpretation become one continuous journey: each landmark can trigger the story, model, or historical figure designed for that location. For the operator, a shared spatial framework supports multiple forms of content across a large outdoor site.
Most importantly, the digital layer does not require equipment to be fixed to the relics. AR content can surround and explain the artifacts while the physical structures retain their original appearance, balancing visitor access with respect for the heritage environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Ming Tombs AR glasses tour?
It is an officially operated outdoor heritage tour that delivers navigation, digital guides, architectural interpretation, and reconstructed historical scenes through AR glasses at the Ming Tombs.
What role does EasyAR Mega play?
EasyAR Mega provides the large-scale spatial mapping, high-precision positioning, and content anchoring needed to keep routes and digital experiences aligned with the physical site.
Which device is used for the experience?
The project uses XREAL Air 2 Ultra AR glasses. Their electrochromic lenses support viewing under changing outdoor light conditions.
Was the system tested in extreme conditions?
Yes. The project operated during summer ground temperatures above 45°C, providing a practical test of the complete outdoor experience.
How does the project protect the heritage site?
Interpretation is delivered as a digital spatial layer. The project does not need to attach screens, markers, or other equipment to the relics, so the historic environment remains visually and physically undisturbed.
Planning an outdoor AR guide for a large cultural-tourism site?
Explore EasyAR MegaImage source: existing public materials from the Sight+ Ming Tombs project. Updated September 2026.
