The world's first commercial multimodal large language model (LLM) for cultural tourism, BoGuan, has entered broad application in Xi'an, China, marking a significant milestone in the integration of artificial intelligence with heritage preservation and tourism. Developed by Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Group (SCG) in collaboration with Huawei, China Telecom Shaanxi, and China West Airport Group, the model is generating commercial returns by supporting digital IP creation for intangible cultural heritage, developing tourism applications, and improving short drama production efficiency.
Xi'an, one of China's oldest cities and a top international tourist destination, serves as the testing ground for BoGuan. The model, unveiled in September 2025, is built on intelligent computing infrastructure and a high-quality dataset exceeding 1.2 PB, including 31 million images, 4.4 million minutes of video, and 960 million pieces of structured text. This enables BoGuan to generate highly-accurate multimodal content, such as museum-quality digital relic presentations, and to digitize traditional craftsmanship. For instance, dough sculpture artisan Zhang Beiyuan noted that a project that previously took two to three months can now be completed in under a week using the model. Additionally, BoGuan has been used to create digital IP like the cartoon character Tang Biaobiao, which integrates local cultural heritage elements with the stone carvings of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum; sales of related digital collectibles and creative products have exceeded CNY2 million.
Beyond heritage preservation, BoGuan powers a range of cultural tourism apps. An AI travel companion agent on the GO-SHAANXI app, available to over 4 million users by March 2026, helps visitors create and adjust itineraries and receive real-time performance recommendations. The Zhiying Camera mini program offers paid services that superimpose user photos onto AI-generated historical scenes, allowing visitors to "travel back to ancient times." These applications unlock the business value of cultural tourism data. Furthermore, SCG is leveraging BoGuan to integrate short drama production with cultural tourism, enhancing efficiency and quality in Xi'an, a renowned short drama hub.
Complementing the AI advancements, China Telecom Shaanxi and Huawei have deployed a 5G-A network based on three component carrier aggregation technology at Xi'an's Grand Tang Mall. 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 watching and social media experiences. Moreover, 5G-A-powered HD live streaming has become a key driver for attracting visitors, with average user dwell time nearly doubling and average transaction value increasing by 62%.
Edric Chu, General Manager of Huawei's Shaanxi Rep Office, emphasized the transformative role of AI: "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 plans to continue collaborating with partners to enhance cultural heritage preservation and stimulate development within the cultural tourism industry.
