Category: Unite 3

English Version When I finally brought the card game into a real setting, the atmosphere turned out to be far livelier than I had imagined. I had set up the space with a spread of Chengdu-style food—hotpot bubbling at the center, sweet dan hong gao (egg pancakes) on the side—so participants could walk around, taste,…

English Version In my first blog, I raised a core question: What kind of fashion identity does Chengdu need? To answer this, relying on a researcher’s subjective judgment is far from enough. Cultural symbols in Chengdu aren’t one-dimensional—they live in everyday stories and collective memories. That’s why I needed a way for stakeholders to express…

English Version Jokela, T. and Huhmarniemi, M. (2018) ‘Art-based action research in the development work of arts and art education’, Action Research, 16(2), pp. 131–153. In this article, Jokela and Huhmarniemi introduce the concept of art-based action research, arguing that artistic creation can serve as both a mode of expression and a research method. They…

English Version Reason, P. and Bradbury, H. (2008) The SAGE Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice. 2nd edn. London: SAGE. This handbook is a landmark text in the field of action research, offering a comprehensive overview of its history, theoretical underpinnings, and interdisciplinary practices. Reason and Bradbury emphasize that the defining features of…

English Version Gauntlett, D. (2007) Creative Explorations: New Approaches to Identities and Audiences. London: Routledge. In this book, Gauntlett proposes a new approach to identity research. He argues that identity should not be studied solely through traditional tools such as surveys, interviews, or quantitative analysis, but rather through creative practices that can capture the complexity…

English Version Before the First Intervention: Three Experimental Ideas Before I officially launched my first intervention, I explored three different concepts. Each circled around the same core question:How can interaction push stakeholders to rethink Chengdu’s cultural identity? Eventually, I landed on the card game format, but the three experimental ideas I sketched out beforehand gave…

Discussion & Learning — Rethinking Chengdu’s Identity through Food, Memory and Everyday Life During the conversations that happened in the game-based process of Intervention 1, something unexpected emerged. Many participants described food as more than just eating. It immediately triggered memories of childhood, family gatherings, and a deep sense of belonging. For them, Chengdu’s identity…

English Version： For Intervention 1, I formed two separate participant groups to explore the social and cultural dimensions of urban perception, identity, and local belonging in Chengdu. The first group, the Mixed Group, all of 6 people, consisted of two Chengdu natives and four individuals who previously visited Chengdu as tourists or have lived in…

English version In today’s wave of globalization, cities are no longer just economic or cultural hubs—they’re becoming brands. When we think of Paris, Milan, or Tokyo, what comes to mind isn’t just geography, but a distinct fashion identity. Chengdu, by contrast, is more often associated with “slow living,” hotpot, and pandas. These are powerful cultural…

Update me on the current progress of my comparative intervention project exploring the question: “How can Chengdu’s local culture shape its fashion identity?” So far, I have initiated the first phase of the intervention, targeting two participant groups: 我目前的对比性干预项目进展，主题是：“成都本土文化如何塑造其时尚身份？”目前，我已开展了第一阶段干预，面向两个群体发布活动邀请： Event Poster： This initial stage involved an open call for participants to submit outfit photographs that…