“To see the breadth of the world, we must first see and understand China.”Understanding China begins with its history and cultural heritage. And few places offer a better starting point than its ancient capitals.
Nanjing, known as one of China’s historic capitals and a city with more than 2,500 years of history, preserves layers of cultural memory throughout its urban landscape. Recently, Scienjoy’s “Discovering Beauty: Ancient Capitals Tour”series brought its livestreaming experience to Zhonghua Gate, one of Nanjing’s most significant historic landmarks.
Through immersive, on-location livestreaming, the program took viewers beyond simply seeing an ancient monument. Streaming across Scienjoy’s Showself, Lehai TV, and Hongle TV platforms, the program invited audiences to explore the site in real time and experience its architecture, history and cultural significance through a combination of live walking tours, on-site storytelling and historical context.
One Ancient Gate, a Window into China’s Engineering Heritage
Zhonghua Gate is more than a well-preserved historic structure. Its complex design offers a glimpse into the engineering expertise, defensive systems and organizational practices of ancient China.
The livestream began outside the gate and moved through its first arched entrance. Along the way, the host highlighted architectural details including the stone archways and the grooves once used to operate the gate’s massive vertical barriers.
Inside the barbican, viewers could see how the gate’s **three-layer defensive structure** created a carefully designed system of protection and strategic depth. Each section served different defensive and administrative purposes, creating a sophisticated network of spaces within the larger city wall.
As the camera moved deeper into the complex, the strategic logic behind the architecture became increasingly clear.
Another important feature of Zhonghua Gate is the large number of inscriptions found on its bricks. Many bricks bear markings identifying local governments, supervisors, kiln workers and individual brick makers. These inscriptions reflect the Ming Dynasty’s practice of recording responsibility for construction work—an early example of systematic quality control and accountability in large-scale infrastructure projects.
From architectural design to construction management, Zhonghua Gate offers more than a view of the past. It provides a tangible record of how large-scale engineering projects were planned, built and managed centuries ago.
From Sightseeing to Cultural Experience
Digital technology is creating new ways for historical and cultural heritage to reach contemporary audiences. Livestreaming, in particular, can bring viewers directly into places that they may never have the opportunity to visit in person.
“Discovering Beauty: Ancient Capitals Tour” places the camera directly inside these historic environments. Rather than presenting a static view of a landmark, the format uses continuous movement, real-time commentary and audience interaction to create a stronger sense of presence.
At Zhonghua Gate, viewers followed the host through the gate complex, into its barbicans and hidden defensive chambers, and up the historic rampways toward the top of the city wall.
A single brick, a gate mechanism, a hidden chamber or an ancient pathway could become the starting point for understanding a much larger story.
This approach reflects the core idea behind the series: heritage does not need to be transformed into spectacle to become engaging. Authentic places, objects and stories can speak for themselves when audiences are given the opportunity to experience them in context.
The goal is not simply to show viewers a historic site, but to help them understand the history behind it.
From seeing a building to understanding its history , and from checking in at a landmark to experiencing its cultural meaning , Scienjoy is exploring how livestreaming can create a more immersive and accessible way to engage with cultural heritage.
“Discovering Beauty”: Bringing Cultural Heritage to a Wider Audience
A single ancient brick. A gate mechanism. A hidden defensive chamber. A pathway worn by centuries of use. Each can serve as a doorway into the past.
Through livestreaming, historic cities and cultural landmarks no longer have to be experienced only by those who can physically travel to them. They can also become digital spaces where audiences around the world can participate, explore and learn in real time.
Following its journey to Zhonghua Gate, “Discovering Beauty: Ancient Capitals Tour”will continue exploring ancient cities, historic architecture and cultural heritage sites across China.
By combining authentic locations with digital content and live interaction, Scienjoy aims to explore new ways of bringing history and culture closer to contemporary audiences—helping more people discover places worth seeing, stories worth understanding and cultural heritage worth preserving.
For Scienjoy, livestreaming is more than a medium for entertainment. It can also serve as a bridge between people and culture, the past and the present, and physical heritage and digital experience.
Through “Discovering Beauty” Scienjoy will continue exploring how digital content can create new connections between audiences and the cultural heritage that shapes our shared understanding of history.