Reconstructing the Subterranean Canvas: Digital Re-Contextualization of the Dingjiazha M5 Muraled Tomb in Jiuquan

The development of digital technology offers unprecedented opportunities in the documentation, conservation, and interpretation of cultural heritage. Due to its high precision, efficiency, and visualization, this technology provides innovative ways for people to interact with heritage sites. However, its dramatic development introduces several problems, including systematic deficiencies in high-precision data acquisition, difficulties in effectively integrating multi-source heterogeneous data, and an inability to reconstruct context during the digital restoration of heritage. Thus, this research proposes a framework of digital re-contextualization, reintegrating the lost physical space, visual information, and mental experience into a coherent whole through triangulation comparison, interpretive restoration, and experiential virtual reconstruction. Taking the Dingjiazha M5 Muraled Tomb as a case study, this article details how this framework was applied to systematically consolidate the archaeological literature and material-sourced spatial data to construct a reliable and verifiable digital replica of the in situ heritage site. This framework shifts the focus from mere data documentation to knowledge production and experiential reconstruction, ensuring the scientific integrity of the restoration and allowing more members of the public to access the heritage site. It also demonstrates how lost historical spaces can be reborn in the digital realm in a way that is both responsible and rich with interpretive depth.