Tim Cook and Zhang Xuyi

By Tong Zhou

Recently, Zhang Xuyi, a student at Tongzhou Senior High School of Jiangsu Province, went to an Apple-related exchange event and engaged in an in-depth face-to-face dialogue with Apple CEO Tim Cook, exploring the profound integration of technology and humanities and arts from a high school student's perspective.

The opportunity for this dialogue arose from a practical observation activity showcasing how technology can help protect traditional culture. During the activity, Zhang Xuyi witnessed firsthand how artists used advanced equipment such as Apple high-definition displays and professional color grading software to restore precious murals. The high-definition equipment accurately restored the subtle textures of the murals, while the professional software achieved color correction and simulated completion of missing parts. Ultimately, it assisted the artists in recreating the original appearance of the murals using traditional handcraft techniques, allowing the thousand-year-old cultural treasures to be revitalized with the support of modern technology.

The practice vividly demonstrated the empowering role of technology in the protection and promotion of traditional culture, and also laid the foundation for the core theme of ‘technology empowering humanities’ for this cross-cultural dialogue.

During the dialogue, Zhang Xuyi and Cook exchanged views on topics such as how technology companies can fulfill the social responsibility of connecting the digital world with cultural heritage, and how technology will shape the way young people create artworks and explore history in the future.

【背景阅读】

南通一名高中生专访苹果CEO库克

近日，江苏省通州高级中学学子张许熠走进苹果公司相关交流活动现场，与苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆・库克展开面对面深度对话，以高中生视角探讨科技与人文艺术的深度融合。

此次对话的契机，源于一场科技助力传统文化保护的实践观摩活动。活动中，张许熠现场见证了艺术家们借助Apple高清显示屏、专业调色软件等先进设备修复珍贵壁画的全过程——高清设备精准还原壁画细微纹理，专业软件实现色彩校正与缺失部分的模拟补全，最终辅助艺术家以传统手工技艺重现壁画原貌，让千年文化瑰宝在现代科技加持下焕发新生。

这场实践直观展现了科技对传统文化保护与弘扬的赋能作用，也为此次跨文化对话奠定了“科技赋能人文”的核心主题。

对话中，张许熠围绕科技企业如何承担连接数字世界与文化遗产的社会责任、技术将如何影响未来青年的艺术创作与历史探究方式等话题，与库克展开交流。