My final project is all about exploring the rich culture that thrived during China’s Qing Dynasty.
For this project, I would like to dive deep into some key questions: What made the Qing Dynasty such a unique time for arts, literature, and ideas? How did the social, political, and economic conditions of the time help culture to flourish? And what can we learn from the Qing Dynasty’s achievements in art, science, and philosophy today?”

Here is the link of my final project: https://amyhuang.org/scalar/final-project/index

Here is the link of my video presentation: https://youtu.be/-93f_DFqMXg

Intellectual and Practical Justifications

The project I am working on focuses on Chinese history, and its main aim is to create an engaging online platform that showcases important events, key figures, and cultural milestones from China. This project is significant because it provides a unique opportunity to explore and share a culture that has played a vital role in shaping global history. By making rare and important historical sources more accessible, this platform will offer a fresh approach to learning about Chinese history, moving beyond traditional methods.

One of the main reasons for choosing this topic is to address the common gaps and biases found in traditional archives. Many historical narratives tend to focus on well-known events and figures, often neglecting the stories of marginalized or less-recognized communities. In Chinese history, this project seeks to create a more inclusive narrative by highlighting the experiences of minority ethnic groups, women, and ordinary people, alongside the major political and cultural events that are usually documented. This inclusive approach not only enriches the understanding of Chinese history but also ensures that a broader range of voices is heard and preserved.

The design of the project also considers practical aspects, such as web accessibility and metadata standards. The platform will be designed to cater to a diverse audience by including features like multilingual support (in both English and Chinese), text-to-speech options, and adjustable font sizes. Additionally, using standardized metadata will make it easier to organize and retrieve information, ensuring that users from different backgrounds can navigate the content effortlessly. These design choices ensure that the project is not only educational but also user-friendly, making it accessible to a wide audience.

Evaluation Plan

To evaluate the success of the project, several key criteria will be used to assess both the content and the functionality of the platform.

1. User Engagement and Feedback: The first measure of success will be how engaged users are with the platform. This will be monitored through website analytics that track the number of visitors, the time they spend on the site, and their interactions with the content, such as sharing and commenting. Additionally, collecting user feedback through surveys will provide insights into how well the platform meets the needs of its audience. This feedback will be crucial for identifying areas where improvements are needed, ensuring that the project evolves to better serve its users.
2. Content Accuracy and Depth: The accuracy and depth of the historical content presented on the platform will be another critical evaluation criterion. It is essential that the information is thoroughly researched, properly sourced, and presented in an engaging and educational manner. To ensure the scholarly rigor of the content, peer reviews and consultations with experts in Chinese history will be conducted. This will help verify that the information is accurate and of high quality, contributing to the overall credibility of the project.
3. Accessibility and Usability: The platform’s accessibility features will be tested to ensure they are effective in meeting the needs of a diverse audience. This includes checking the functionality of the multilingual support, text-to-speech options, and other accessibility tools. Additionally, usability testing will be conducted to ensure that the platform is easy to navigate and that users can find the information they need without any difficulty. These tests will help ensure that the platform is accessible and user-friendly, making it a valuable resource for all users.
4. Impact on Audience Understanding: Finally, the project will be evaluated based on its impact on users’ understanding of Chinese history. This will be assessed through qualitative feedback from users, as well as by analyzing the discussions and engagements generated by the platform. The goal is to create a space where users not only learn about Chinese history but also feel inspired to explore further and engage with the content on a deeper level. This will ensure that the project not only educates but also fosters a deeper appreciation for the rich history and culture of China.

Item: Declaration of Independence

• Title: Declaration of Independence
• Creator: Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston (Committee of Five)
• Subject: American Independence, Revolutionary War, Founding Document
• Description: The Declaration of Independence is a historic document adopted on July 4, 1776, declaring the thirteen American colonies’ independence from British rule. It outlines the colonies’ grievances against King George III and articulates the principles of individual liberty and government by consent.
• Publisher: Continental Congress
• Contributor: Signed by 56 delegates to the Continental Congress
• Date: 1776-07-04
• Type: Historical Document
• Format: Manuscript, Printed Broadsides
• Identifier: National Archives Link
• Source: Original document housed at the National Archives, Washington D.C.
• Language: English
• Relation: Related to the American Revolutionary War and the Constitution of the United States
• Coverage: United States of America, 18th century
• Rights: Public Domain

item 2: iPhone

• Title: iPhone 13 Pro
• Creator: Apple Inc.
• Subject: Smartphone, Technology, Apple
• Description: The iPhone 13 Pro is a high-end smartphone made by Apple Inc., featuring advanced cameras, a Super Retina XDR display, and an A15 Bionic chip.
• Publisher: Apple Inc.
• Date: 2021-09-24
• Type: Electronic Device
• Format: Physical Device
• Identifier: https://www.apple.com/iphone-13-pro/
• Coverage: Global
• Rights: All rights reserved by Apple Inc.

Item 1: Mona Lisa Painting

• Title: Mona Lisa
• Creator: Leonardo da Vinci
• Subject: Portrait, Renaissance Art, Leonardo da Vinci
• Description: The Mona Lisa is a famous portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci, known for its detailed representation and mysterious smile.
• Publisher: Louvre Museum
• Date: 1503-1506
• Type: Painting
• Format: Oil on poplar panel
• Coverage: Louvre Museum, Paris, France
• Rights: Public Domain

Digital Archiving Project Review: The Digital Karnak Project

Description of the Digital Karnak Project

The Digital Karnak Project, first created at UCLA and later moved to UCSC, offers an in-depth look at the Karnak temple complex. This site, one of the biggest temple complexes globally, has a rich history covering architecture, rituals, religion, economy, society, and politics. The project includes a virtual reality model, thematic essays, original videos, maps, and educational resources. Its goal is to make the Karnak site more accessible to students and teachers who speak English.

URL: Digital Karnak Project

I picked this project because it shows how digital tools can enhance our understanding of historical sites. It uses technology to bring history to life, making it an excellent example of how digital archiving can open up new ways to learn and engage with the past.

Incorporation of Required Readings

In “Theories of Archives from Across the Disciplines,” the archive is seen as a key place for producing knowledge. The Digital Karnak Project fits this idea by offering a digital archive that shows the history and changes of the Karnak temple. This project shows how the idea of an archive has grown to include many types of materials and technologies.

Derrida’s idea of “archive fever,” which means a deep desire to find lost time, matches well with the Digital Karnak Project. The project lets users explore detailed historical reconstructions and stories, meeting this need to connect with the past. Foucault’s idea that archives are central to knowledge production is clear in how the Digital Karnak Project is used as a learning resource, with scholarly materials and interactive tools to help with study and research.

“Archives in Context and as Context” talks about the differences between traditional and digital humanities views on archives. The Digital Karnak Project shows this by turning a physical site into a digital archive, making it easy to access for education and public use. This matches the digital humanities’ focus on chosen online collections that keep context and authenticity.

The article says, “Archivists select and preserve ‘archives’ as defined in the primary definition, which is to say aggregates of materials with an organic relationship, rather than items that may be similar in some manner, but otherwise unrelated.” The Digital Karnak Project follows this by presenting the site’s history and artifacts in a clear, meaningful way. It also ensures that “preserving context is also about preserving the conditions that make documents more meaningful to users,” which it does through its detailed virtual reconstructions and essays.

Personal Critical Thinking

After reading the articles and exploring the Digital Karnak Project, I see archives as more than just collections of historical documents. An archive, especially today, is a lively space that preserves, shows, and explains historical data. The Digital Karnak Project turns the physical Karnak site into a digital space where users can interact with its history. This project challenges the old view of archives as static by making them interactive and educational.

In my own project, I want to create an archive that not only keeps historical data but also involves users interactively. Seeing archives as dynamic and complex will guide my approach. I will use digital tools to tell historical stories in a way that is easy to access and engaging, making sure the archive is both educational and interactive.

MLA Citation:

1. Manoff, Marlene. “Theories of the Archive from Across the Disciplines.”
2. Theimer, Kate. “Archives in Context and as Context.” Journal of Digital Humanities, vol. 1, no. 2, Spring 2012, https://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-2/archives-in-context-and-as-context.

Website Name: Jamendo
URL: https://www.jamendo.com/?language=en
Rights Statement: Jamendo Licensing
Annotation: Jamendo offers a large collection of music tracks that are licensed under Creative Commons. Users can discover, download, and share music legally and for free. This site is perfect for people looking for music to enjoy or to use in their own projects under Creative Commons terms.
Tags: CC_Music, CC_Audio, CC_Tracks

Website Name: Flickr Commons
URL: https://www.flickr.com/commons
Rights Statement: Flickr Commons Usage
Annotation: Flickr Commons is a collection of photo archives from cultural institutions around the world. The images are available for public use, and many are under Creative Commons licenses, allowing them to be used in educational, personal, and creative projects.
Tags: CC_Photography, CC_History, CC_Archives

Website Name: Wikimedia Commons
URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File.svg
Rights Statement: Wikimedia Commons Licensing
Annotation: Wikimedia Commons is a big collection of media files that anyone can use for free. This includes images, sounds, and videos. This specific link leads to the logo for Wiki Loves Earth Austria. All files on Wikimedia Commons are either under Creative Commons licenses or are in the public domain, which means they are free to use for educational and creative projects.
Tags: CC_Logos, CC_Images, CC_Media

Website Name: Internet Archive: Prelinger Archives
URL: https://archive.org/details/prelinger
Rights Statement: Internet Archive Terms of Use
Annotation: The Prelinger Archives, available through the Internet Archive, have a huge collection of public domain films. This includes educational, industrial, and amateur films. These films are free to use and adapt, which is very useful for historians, filmmakers, and teachers who need historical footage.
Tags: PD_Film, PD_History, PD_Education, PD_Videos