From Recording to Communication: A Three-Layer Framework for the Digitalization of Cave Temples and the Gaps Between Layers

Digital work on cave temples has moved beyond data capture into exhibition and public communication, yet most studies describe technologies one by one and rarely ask how the stages connect. This paper proposes a three-layer framework—recording, representation, communication—treating cave temple digitalization as a value chain from permanent preservation to cultural diffusion. Drawing on Yungang, Longmen, Dunhuang and the Zhangye Great Buddha Temple, it examines the technical features, cost structures and limits of each layer. The recording layer is relatively mature, but high-precision data are poorly converted into public-facing content; the representation layer is interpretively strong yet costly and hard to replicate; the communication layer reaches widely but stays shallow. The three form a structural gap—abundant data, thin content, superficial communication—rooted not in single-layer technology but in the absence of mechanisms that move work between layers. The paper proposes a data–content–channel conversion chain, tiered authorization and institutional safeguards, and an evaluation shift toward the conversion end.