Digital technology has been used to document the wooden architecture of the indigenous Dong people in the south-west of China for the first time.
The Decoding Dong project, led by Dr Xiang Ren, from the School of Architecture and Landscape, uses the latest in 3D scanning technology as well as aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry, 3D modelling, documentary videos and extensive oral histories from the memories and stories of the Dong people.
The Dong people are a marginalised ethnic minority group who have lived in the mountains of south-west China for around 600 years. With no written language until the 1950s, the Dong culture is primarily orally-based.
The striking architecture of the region is currently at risk from natural disasters, modern infrastructure and tourism, the Decoding Dong project is a timely intervention for this little-documented culture.
The two-year project, which is due to end this year, focuses on the Dong minority’s central public building, the drum tower, as well as its immediate environment across dozens of remote villages.
A video has been created in which Dr Ren shares some insights from the project, its background and its methodology, alongside stunning footage of the architecture itself.
Find out more on the Decoding Dong website.