Xi'an, China, is witnessing a transformative shift in cultural tourism with the broad application of BoGuan, the world's first commercial multimodal large language model (LLM) dedicated to this sector. Developed by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group (SCG) in collaboration with Huawei, China Telecom Shaanxi, and China West Airport Group (CWAG), BoGuan leverages artificial intelligence and 5G-A technologies to preserve cultural heritage, create digital intellectual property, and enhance visitor experiences.
BoGuan was unveiled in September 2025 as China's first industry-specific model for cultural heritage preservation. It is built on intelligent computing infrastructure and a high-quality dataset comprising over 1.2 petabytes of data, including 31 million images, 4.4 million minutes of video, 2.18 million minutes of audio, 510 3D models, and 960 million pieces of structured text. This extensive dataset enables BoGuan to generate highly accurate multimodal content, such as museum-quality digital relic presentations and the digitalization of traditional craftsmanship.
One notable application is the creation of digital IP for intangible cultural heritage. For instance, the popular cartoon character Tang Biaobiao, inspired by the stone carvings of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, has generated over CNY2 million in sales of digital collectibles and creative products. Artisans like dough sculpture master Zhang Beiyuan have reported dramatic productivity gains: "With this model, I can complete a dough sculpture that used to take two or three months in less than a week."
BoGuan also powers a new AI travel companion agent available on the GO-SHAANXI app, which has served over 4 million users since March. Visitors can create and adjust itineraries and receive real-time performance recommendations. Additionally, the Zhiying Camera mini program offers paid services that allow users to integrate their photos with AI-generated historical scenes, creating immersive "time travel" experiences. These applications unlock the business value of cultural tourism data.
Furthermore, SCG is using BoGuan to integrate short drama production with cultural tourism, improving efficiency and quality in Xi'an, a renowned short drama hub. The model supports the entire production process, from scriptwriting to post-production.
Complementing these AI advancements, a 5G-A network based on three component carrier aggregation (3CC) technology has been deployed at Xi'an's Grand Tang Mall by China Telecom Shaanxi and Huawei. This network delivers peak uplink and downlink rates of 600 Mbps and 3.5 Gbps, respectively—about 10 times faster than common 5G networks. During the 2026 May Day holiday, it supported concurrent access for 23,000 users, ensuring smooth video streaming and social media experiences. The network also powers HD live streaming, which has attracted new visitors; according to public data, average user dwell time for these live streams has nearly doubled, and average transaction value has increased by 62%.
Edric Chu, General Manager of Huawei's Shaanxi Rep Office, emphasized the broader impact: "Artificial intelligence is not simply a stack of technologies. It has become a key enabler that can activate thousands of years of cultural heritage, reshape travel experiences, and inject new momentum into the industry." Huawei and its partners plan to continue enhancing cultural heritage preservation with digital and intelligent technologies, stimulating further development in the cultural tourism industry.
