Historical distance: affective practice in immersive heritage at the Mogao Caves, China

Heritage institutions increasingly invest in immersive experiences, yet research often treats affect as a consequence of immersion rather than a force that shapes how visitors relate to the past. In the context of conservation at the Mogao Caves, this study examines how three immersive settings—regulated visits to the original caves, replica exhibitions, and the E-Dunhuang virtual tour—organise historical distance and how visitors negotiate it through affective practice. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with 22 Chinese domestic visitors, it shows that regulated access at the original site produces a concentrated encounter; open-ended viewing and spatial constraints in replicas invite negotiation between proximity and distance; and repeatable, interface-driven navigation in the virtual tour enables visitors to develop personal connections gradually. Across settings, visitors do not simply accept but rework institutional arrangements, developing a felt orientation of care and restraint. The study extends affective governance theory to interconnected settings. It brings historical distance research from representation to immersive heritage, showing how visitors reconcile proximity and distance through cultural frameworks. Immersion does not dissolve historical distance; design should keep it adjustable, without prescribing emotions or maximising proximity. This matters for fragile, damaged, or inaccessible heritage.