Rendering the obsolete

A consensus of the online comments is that in these restored videos, the people from a hundred years ago are no longer out of reach and easier to empathize with.

Commenting on the Beijing video, YouTube user "A. D.", opined: "In a way, it's eerie for me to watch, because I'm guessing none of these people in the footage, especially the young, would have had any sense at the time how much upheaval was on the way in their lifetimes.

"In a hundred years, a new generation will be watching our footage in 3D and feeling the same things about us."

Many other users appear to agree with the sentiment, as the comment received more than 1,500"up votes".

Reading the feedback, Hu says that he is pleased that these videos can help more people get to know, and develop an interest in, Chinese history.

"These days, people tend to be exposed to fast culture, so it might be a good way to introduce history to them from a more approachable angle, and then they might be interested to learn the personal experience of these historical characters and their works," Hu says.