As a carrier of Chinese civilization heritage

Nanjing Ming City Wallhas witnessed

the trials and tribulations of a thousand-year ancient capital

and is the world's longest, largest,

and best-preserved ancient city wall relic in terms of authenticity

Starting in April 2025, the social practice team "Tongxin zhi 'Shan' · Yuanmai Dongnan" (Concrete Heart for Restoration · Wall Heritage of the Southeast) from the School of Civil Engineering at Southeast Universitycarried out a series of practice, science outreach, aesthetic education, and labor education activities centered on the Nanjing Ming City Wall, exploring an effective path for integrating professional education with cultural heritage in universities in the new era.

Relying on their professional background, the "Tongxin zhi 'Shan' · Yuanmai Dongnan" social practice teamfocused on the application of digital modeling and 3D printing in cultural heritage protection, exploring new forms of technology-empowered traditional architecture.Team members used drones to conduct on-site aerial survey scanning of theZhonghua Gate barbicanarea, completed 3D modeling based on point cloud data, and produced a finely detailed 3D-printed model of Zhonghua Gate, achieving a technological leap "from heritage scene to digital carrier."

At the same time, the team held a hand-painting aesthetic education activity on campus using 3D-printed Ming City Wall models,integrating technological practice into cultural creation, sparking creativity through inheritance and strengthening cultural confidence through technology.At the charity sale held at the Art JinlingCultural and Creative Industry Parkstudents sold their hand-painted 3D models of the Ming City Wall to the public, with all proceeds donated to public welfare projects. The practice team interpreted youth responsibility through innovative actions, and in repeated interdisciplinary integration and practical exploration,demonstrated the sense of responsibility to serve society with professional knowledge and respond to the times through cultural practice.

Cultural heritage protection is not only engineering practice but also a contemporary issue requiring participation from all. The team repeatedly visited primary and secondary schools, neighborhood communities, and cultural venues, using lively and engaging lectures and immersive interactive experiencesto bring history to life before people's eyes and let culture take root and sprout in their hearts.

At Xihu Primary School in Gongqingcheng, Jiangxi, team members popularized the structural wisdom and history of the Ming City Wall through interactive courses, inspiring young people's love for traditional architecture and historical inheritance; in the "Ming City Wall Lecture Hall" held in the Dongnan community, volunteers used technology demonstrations, knowledge quizzes, and on-site painting to guide community youth to understand culture with a scientific perspective and inherit heritage through modern means; at theNanjing City Wall Museumthe regular volunteer service activities allowed young students to step into the front lines of culture, feel the warmth of history through guided interpretation services, and accumulate the power of cultural dissemination through teaching by word and example.

Inheritance has its roots, and protection has its way. The sustainable protection of cultural heritage requires both dedicated stewardship and the empowerment of technology and academic guidance.In the "Listening to the Craftsman's Heart" exclusive interview, the team approached Professor Mu Baogang of the School of Civil Engineering at Southeast University to hear about his interdisciplinary practice and scientific research exploration in cultural heritage protection engineering. Professor Mu advocates protecting cultural heritage with technology, introducing modern monitoring methods and engineering techniques into the restoration of traditional cultural relics, and guiding young people to cultivate patriotism and a sense of historical responsibility through practice.

To deepen intercollegiate exchange and broaden professional horizons, the team carried out Party building co-construction with the School of History at Nanjing University and organized interdisciplinary cultural-engineering exchange activities. Students from the two universities engaged in multi-perspective dialogue on the Ming City Wall,colliding ideas and deepening understanding through interaction, and advancing cultural heritage protection from disciplinary connection toward youth co-creation.At the same time, during the Second Southeast University Alumni Homecoming Festival, the team also attracted a large number of alumni to stop by with photo exhibitions, 3D models, and fun quizzes, showcasing the youthful strength of new-era youth who "apply what they learn and serve the country with knowledge."