Link: Shaman — A Digital Journey into Hakka Folk Belief
Description:
Shaman is an interactive Web3D documentary experience that explores the spiritual world of Hakka folk belief through the personal memory of my grandmother.
Growing up in a Hakka family in southern China, I was deeply influenced by my grandmother, who was believed by the local community to have the ability to communicate with deities and spirits through traditional rituals. Rather than interpreting this belief system as superstition, this project attempts to explore the cultural, emotional, and historical meanings behind these practices — how faith becomes a connection between individuals, families, and communities.
The experience reconstructs my grandmother’s ritual space and my hometown environment through digital technology. Using 3D scanning and Gaussian Splatting techniques, the physical spaces where rituals took place were transformed into immersive digital environments, preserving traces of family memory and local cultural heritage in a new media form.
The website guides visitors through a nonlinear exploration of the relationship between human beings, spiritual beliefs, and memories. Through interactive 3D scenes, users can experience fragments of family stories, ritual objects, and the symbolic meanings embedded within Hakka traditions.
Technically, the project is built with modern Web technologies including Three.js, WebGL, Next.js, GLSL shaders, and real-time 3D rendering pipelines.
By combining documentary research, digital preservation, and interactive storytelling, Shaman explores how emerging technologies can create new possibilities for preserving intangible cultural heritage and personal memories.