Barco powers Shanghai Art Museum’s Immersive Classic of Mountains and Rivers exhibition

From July 15 to October 8, 2025, the Shanghai Art Museum hosted the world’s first immersive naked-eye 3D installation art exhibition inspired by the ancient Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Rivers. Titled Amazing Zhulong, the exhibition wove together mythical imagery and contemporary aesthetics. Powered by 25 Barco I600-4K15 projectors, the installation created a breathtaking journey through China’s mythological cosmos.

Context

Amazing Zhulong placed the ancient Chinese creation deity Zhulong, the Torch Dragon, at the heart of its narrative. Through the storyline “Landing in an Extraordinary Space – Exploring Zhulong’s Realm”, visitors journeyed through a series of immersive zones, including “Flowing Boundaries” and “Neurons”. The exhibition aimed to reawaken Chinese mythology through light and projection – using digital artistry to manifest the grand cosmology of the Classic of Mountains and Rivers and breathe new vitality into traditional culture.

Challenge

Spanning 2,000 square meters, the exhibition featured a complex layout that demanded exceptional installation flexibility, visual performance, and color uniformity. With creative visual effects such as 360° immersive environments and mirrored passageways, the projectors needed to deliver high brightness, deep contrast, and precise color accuracy - while adapting to compact spaces and unconventional installation angles. Every image had to align seamlessly with the artistic design.

Solution

Barco partnered closely with Shanghai Baixiu Culture & Communication Co., Ltd., to deploy twenty-five I600-4K15 projectors across the three signature immersive spaces.

In the “Command Chamber”, three I600-4K15 projectors illuminated three vast screens, introducing the mythological backdrop and narrative arc. Vivid imagery drew visitors into the storyline, revealing intricate details and building anticipation.

The “Flowing Boundaries” room has twenty-one I600-4K15 projectors enveloping walls and floors with dazzling panoramas, to construct a 360° immersive realm of cascading waterfalls, towering peaks, drifting peach blossoms, and swirling mist. Light and projection embodied the elemental symbolism of water – a metaphor for life’s cycle and flow.

In the “Neurons” space, a single I600-4K15 rendered Zhulong’s shifting form within a mirrored environment. Reflections across semi-circular structures and reflective walls formed a continuous visual loop, creating an infinite, futuristic passageway – symbolizing vitality, growth, and the transmission of energy.

Results

Amazing Zhulong delivered a breathtaking immersive experience that redefined what’s possible in museum exhibitions. Powered by Barco’s I600-4K15 projectors, the installation showcased how light and projection can empower cultural storytelling. With outstanding image quality and versatile installation capabilities, the project offers a replicable model for future generations of immersive art exhibitions, bridging tradition and technology in a truly innovative way.