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Project Overview

File:Noun Project goal icon 618753 cc.svg - Wikimedia Commons  Goals:

Explore the power of Digital Humanities (DH) in preserving cultural heritage in urban settings.

 

Free Icon | List  Objectives:

  • To help document and revitalize the disappearing cultures in Hutong communities of urban Beijing.
  • To empower community members to be co-producers of knowledge in documenting history.
  • To support a multidimensional and interpersonal construction of a cultural spirit that is lively, relevant, and engaging, by incorporating user interactions and elements of storytelling design.

 

About Partner Svg Png Icon Free Download (#196602) - OnlineWebFonts.COM  Data Sources:

I expect to collect and compile data, first, by drawing upon existing archives referenced or created by my community partner – Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) – who I will be working with this summer. CHP is an independent, grass-roots Chinese NGO working to support Beijing Hutong communities to protect their cultural heritage. Believing that protecting the past is to better move forward, their mission centers on raising historic preservation awareness among the general public and giving local Hutong residents a voice to protect the future of their past through education, documentation, networking, and social media campaigns.

Then, based on the various accessibility across different types of data sources – ethnographic objects, maps, census data, oral history interviews, images, historical texts, literature, etc. – I plan on filling the gaps by conducting some ethnographic research from scratch in the format of field observation, structured interviews, secondary data analysis of existing archival sources, and collecting demographic information from the Hutong community. The key point in field research is that it takes place in the subject’s natural environment – Beijing Hutongs – where I, rather than the subjects, are the ones out of their element.

 

Question Mark Icons - Download Free Vector Icons | Noun Project  Critical Questions:

  • How to plan designs according to the availability of content: When it comes to data 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 this DH storytelling project around that specific type of data.
  • Pick a sustainable Platform: Are this design and the future deliverable product something that would be sustainable and extensible by the Hutong community in Beijing?
  • Levels of interaction: How much interaction should users have to not only make an unfamiliar culture feel relevant and engaging while also protecting the integrity and authority of the culture itself?
  • How do we get the word out: Exposure is key to all social media campaigns. Communication and outreach that help the public know about and how to navigate the materials are just as important as building the platform.

 

Audience Icons - Download Free Vector Icons | Noun Project  Audience/Users:

    • tenants of Hutongs
    • people who reside in Beijing
    • tourists or travelers who are interested in Chinese history and traditional cultures

 

Ar Icons - Download Free Vector Icons | Noun Project

Deliverable: A digital storytelling mini-Program on WeChat as part of a series of Hutong Culture awareness campaigns

Originally, I was going to use templates offered by Omeka, an open-source content management system great for creating interactive storytelling exhibits with different types of archival materials. But I want to create something that is there to stay – extensible and sustainable for the community in Beijing. Considering Omeka might not be the most accessible, visible, or sharable digital media interface in mainland China, I decided to design an interactive activity or mini-program hosted by WeChat (China’s largest and most dominant social network) that is both informative and seamlessly interactive to draw public eyes to the stories of a disappearing culture.

Like Facebook Marketplace, WeChat mini-programs are “sub-applications” within the platform that don’t need to be downloaded or installed to be used. Because these experiences are built completely within WeChat, they are usually very fast (in terms of loading speed) and frictionless (in terms of UX, integration with WeChat features, and navigation).