a story.

I was assigned to the “cultural awareness” part of the plan: To support a multidimensional and interpersonal construction of Hutong cultural spirits that are lively, relevant, and engaging, by incorporating user interactions and elements of storytelling design. 

This summer, I was mainly placed to work with local public schools, leading student volunteers to experience, observe, and document the past and the present of Hutongs under a topic of their interest. I hope this project could promote cultural confidence and the understanding of Beijing’s history amongst local youth. Inspired by the historical ceiling pattern preserved in the house of Li Xin, a Hutong local residing in CheJunWang Palace, a team of 8-10 students came up with the idea of using fun animations and a stand at one museum exhibition to engage the public in the rather lesser-known facts of dragons – the traditional Chinese totem – and historical Chinese ceiling patterns.

Critical questions considered:

• • How to plan designs according to the availability of content: When it comes to information collection, are various types of source materials equally accessible? If there is one type of material (i.e. oral interviews) more accessible than others, maybe consider centering the story around that specific type of data.

Our original plan was to create separate videos focusing on the different body parts of the Dragon, including eyes, nose, ears, claws, etc. However, with the dragon being a mythical creature that many has heard of but never thoroughly researched, it was extremely difficult to find enough archival materials on what kind of eyes they had or how their ears use to function. Some aspects of the dragon were so obscure that it had never been investigated by the ancestors. Thus, we decided to set the two new topics for our script to be on the function of the claws of the dragon and how the dragon come into existence.

• • Pick a sustainable Platform: Are these design and deliverable products something that would be sustainable and extensible by the students and local communities in Beijing? Can they continue to access, edit, and publish content in the future?

Initial Thoughts: display products via museum exhibitions, submit findings to archives, install information bulletin boards outside heritage housing

• • Levels of interaction: How much interactive power should the designers/makers/student volunteers have, that would not only make an unfamiliar culture feel relevant and engaging to the general public but also protect the integrity and authority of the culture itself?

consult academic experts in the field of history, architecture, anthropology, and graphic designs

• • How do we get the word out: Exposure is key to all social media campaigns. Communication and outreach that help the public stay in the know about materials related to Beijing’s cultural heritage project are just as important as choosing the platform

Social media rebrand (mentioned in the Design section) will hopefully boosts consistency in the looks and feels of the official account profile across various platforms, as well as the frequency and quality in posting content that fits brand identity and addressing target audience.