Qin Culture Goes Global as Diplomats Praise Smart Translation Glasses

A family letter preserved on the Heifu wooden slips, written over 2,200 years ago and full of devotion to home and country, is now going global via the immersive epic The Great Qin. In the midsummer of 2026, diplomats from over ten countries gathered in Xi'an—the starting point of the Silk Road—to attend the show. The smart translation glasses, driven by an AI-powered translation system, drew particular attention and gave international guests a first-hand view of how technology is bringing China’s living cultural heritage to life.

Diplomats were immersed in The Great Qin.

【Photo by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group】

Traditional displays of cultural relics are limited by language barriers, leaving international visitors unable to access the full depth of pre-Qin Classical Chinese texts. The Great Qin addresses this with smart translation glasses. Linked to an AI-powered translation platform, the glasses provide real-time, simultaneous interpretation of Classical Chinese into English, Russian, French, Japanese, and Korean, removing the language barrier in cross-cultural exchange. With the glasses on, diplomats did not need interpreters to immerse themselves in the reformist vision of Shang Yang's reforms, the epic unification of the six states, and the simple yet heartfelt devotion to home and country in the Heifu wooden slips.

Performance of The Great Qin

【Photo by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group】

Lekoko S. Kenosi, Ambassador of Botswana to China, said he was struck by the technology: “These glasses made it so easy to understand what the actors were saying. For me, this technology made the content of The Great Qin much more accessible.”

Rooted in the Heifu wooden slips, The Great Qin embodies the distinctive spirit of Qin culture: the unity and inclusiveness of standardized writing and axle widths, a bold, reform‑oriented and pragmatic pioneering spirit, and the humanistic essence of "family and country as one." Through live staging, lighting effects, and technological empowerment, the production revives a civilization that lay buried for over two millennia. It transforms excavated artifacts into an experiential cultural medium that audiences can see, enjoy and emotionally connect with, opening new pathway for traditional Chinese culture to go global.

Laurent Aunouviet Azouwani, First Counselor at the Embassy of Gabon in China, posed backstage with a performer.

【Photo by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group】

Feedback from the diplomats confirmed Qin culture's unique value on the world stage. Arlindo do Rosário, Ambassador of Cabo Verde to China, said after the show that the AI translation glasses were impressive and Qin cultural practices for preserving and transmitting heritage could offer useful lessons for his own country’s cultural development. Diplomats from Latvia, Spain, Burkina Faso, and the Republic of Korea proposed cross-border collaborations linking their traditional theatre and folk arts with The Great Qin.

Victor Murcia, Counselor of the Embassy of Spain in China, expressed keen interest in props from The Great Qin.

【Photo by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group】

Qin culture’s global value lies in its engagement with universal civilizational themes. The idea of “Great Unity” implies diversity and integration and peaceful coexistence. The Qin drive for reform and self-strengthening resonates with nations' shared pursuit of development. The home-and-country sentiment in the Heifu wooden slips strikes a chord shared across humanity. Rather than exporting a single historical emblem, The Great Qin uses modern technology to present a comprehensive narrative of China’s long civilizational trajectory, offering an Eastern perspective for global mutual learning among civilizations.