Digitisation efforts for the return of cross-border cultural heritage

The international community has long been troubled by disputes over the ownership of cross-border cultural heritage. These disputes involve multiple complex issues spanning law, history, and cultural identity. However, advances in digital technology offer new ways to resolve these disputes. This paper uses the “Comprehensive Collection of Chinese Painting Through the Ages’ digitalisation project as its core case study, employing a combination of case analysis, participant observation, questionnaire surveys (N = 217) and semi-structured expert interviews (N = 5). It systematically explores the pathways and outcomes of achieving the “digital return” of transnational cultural heritage through digitisation and exhibition. The findings reveal that digitisation significantly enhances public accessibility, cultural interpretive authority, and expressive autonomy for cultural heritage in its place of origin, thereby validating its practical value. This research provides crucial empirical evidence and valuable theoretical insights into the digital preservation and repatriation of cross-border cultural heritage.