Barco projectors unravel the mysteries of the Huashan grottoes

Anhui, CN - 2023

Located in the eastern suburb of Tunxi, Huangshan City, the Huashan Mysterious Grottoes were originally the site of ancient Huizhou Grottoes with a history of more than 1,700 years. With a total area of 61.2 square kilometers, it is the largest man-made underground cave system in China. The underground palace complex of magnificent scale and peculiar shape, was excavated by hand by the ancients and is known as the "Ninth Wonder of the World."

Barco solutions

  • 67x G60-W7
  • 39x G60-W10
  • 4x UDX-W32

Key benefits

  • Compact size for flexible installation in limited space
  • Complete protection design to overcome the challenges of harsh outdoor environments
  • Wide range of lens zoom ratio options to meet the needs of narrow, short, and long-distance projection
  • High-quality color accuracy and stable performances for precise imaging in dark environments
  • Installation and after-sales service to guarantee project operation

The related Huashan World Theme Park has been newly upgraded since its reopening in September 2021. A new themed night tour takes the grottos mystery culture as the core IP, taking visitors along four thematic areas of Huashan Square, Riverside Mystery Trail, Mysterious Valley, and Magical Painting of Mountain and River.

Challenge

Compared to the relatively simple needs and constant characteristics of indoor environments, this project faced a more complex environment of riverside, mountains, forest, and grottoes. The scenic area is located in the subtropical zone, surrounded by mountains and rivers, with high temperatures and humid air, especially in the grottoes where air circulation is extremely poor, putting forward highly demanding requirements for the projection equipment.

The Huashan Mysterious Grottoes are spacious and strange in structure, some of which are stacked with layers of rocks, rippling with water. You’ll find grottoes within grottoes with winding and meandering paths, and some of which have stone pillars high in the sky, with fantasy and mystery.

In the famous "Grotto No.35" of the Huashan Mysterious Grottoes, there are countless continuous spaces composed of damp and irregular areas. The installation place in the grotto is limited, and the rock walls are covered with chisel marks. The uneven projection surface directly leads to imaging difficulties, and the challenging operating environment poses a rare challenge for constructing the sound and light system.

Solution

In response to this night tour unique geographical environment and specific imaging needs, Barco has customized an exclusive projection solution for the Huashan Mysterious Grottoes. Sixty-seven G60-W7, thirty-nine G60-W10, and four UDX-W32 Barco projectors were installed in the fragmented grotto space, building projection combinations according to the different spatial structures of each area to maximize the artistic effect expression.

The G60 series projectors have a compact size and a wide range of lens options. Faced with the limitations of the space inside the grottoes, Barco adopts lenses with different zoom ratios to meet the needs of projection at narrow, short, and long distances, achieving precise matching of images.

The UDX projector with 3-chip DLP technology, presents high-quality color accuracy in the full-brightness mode ensuring a chromatographic space that exceeds the Rec.709 color gamut standard even in the dark projection environment in the depths of the grottoes. Equipped with a high-contrast optical engine, the UDX achieves a high level of image restoration on the chisel-covered stone walls. Facing harsh challenges such as high temperature, humidity, and poor air circulation, Barco ensures stable operation for long hours through dust-proof and moisture-proof designs and heat dissipation.

Results

To better integrate the image vision into the scenic area, the Huashan Mysterious Grottoes fully use natural canvases such as stones, rivers, mountains, trees, grottoes, and stone walls through a large number of innovative methods. Barco used over one hundred laser projectors to make "stealth" designs of bird's nests, green shades, and rocks, subtly integrating the images with natural elements such as forests, plank roads, and grottoes. The result is a perfect cooperation between technology and nature, bringing visitors a fully immersive viewing experience.

In addition, Barco provides after-sales service of "replacement, without repair", which will replace the entire projector if problems arise during use. The light source lifetime of 20,000 hours and warranty of up to 3 years give users a sense of security. And, with Barco's Projector toolset software, all 110 projectors can be centrally managed and controlled, making scenic operations more manageable and efficient.

With 5G technology and Barco's top-notch projection, the immersive theme park, which integrates natural scenery and modern technology, has realized the upgrade of the scenic spot from "brightening" to "beautifying".

Faced with limitations of the space inside the grottoes, Barco adopts lenses with different zoom ratios to meet the needs of projection.

Leafun Culture Technology Co., Ltd.

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