The new exhibition aims to bring such preservation work closer to the public. It also promotes the principles of the "Yuelu Proclamation," which was officially released in 2019 and described as UNESCO's first permanent document themed on the protection of linguistic diversity.

　　Experts attending the exhibition's opening said a key challenge is how to use artificial intelligence and digital museum technologies to turn vast collections of field recordings into cultural experiences the public can engage with.

　　For Wang, documenting endangered languages is only the beginning.

　　"In the past, the focus was on recording endangered languages and preserving samples of their voices," she said. "In the future, preservation needs to move toward keeping languages alive."

　　The exhibition hall, Wang said, is part of that shift, taking language resources beyond academic research and bringing them closer to everyday life.■

　　People visit the Exhibition Hall of the Project for the Protection of Language Resources of China in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Aug. 24, 2026. A new exhibition hall dedicated to the preservation of China's diverse language resources opened on Monday in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, bringing a decade-long effort to document languages and dialects to the public through digital and interactive displays.

　　The Exhibition Hall of the Project for the Protection of Language Resources of China, located in the Hunan Museum, brings together recordings and other language materials collected from more than 1,800 field survey sites across China, covering Chinese dialects, ethnic minority languages and related cultural traditions. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)