Three - dimensional laser scanning is a new, advanced and rapidly developing technique in the fields of both surveying and information technology. It has played an important role in the conservation of cultural relics. This report summarizes the characteristics of three - dimensional laser scanning technology. With the aim of meeting requirements and to satisfy the demand for the conservation of stone cultural relics, some specific applications of the technique are introduced, especially information retention, virtual restoration and monitoring. Finally it is pointed out that in future application of the 3 - D laser scanning to the field of relic conservation, there should be a focus on combining different applications; improvements of both hardware and software are also very important.