Research Article

The Digital Translation of Han Dynasty Cosmological Views on Life: Spatial Narrative and Symbolic Construction in the 'Art of Life'—The Mawangdui Immersive Exhibition

Zhonghao Cui*
Jingdezhen University of Ceramics

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Under the impetus of the national cultural digitization strategy, immersive digital exhibitions have become a significant direction for innovation in museum curation, providing a feasible path for the contemporary expression of ancient philosophical thought. "Life Art - An Immersive Digital Exhibition of Han Dynasty Culture from Mawangdui" serves as a typical case of digital translation of Han Dynasty cosmological and life views; however, existing research has insufficiently explored its underlying cultural translation logic. This paper employs a single-case qualitative research method, using spatial narrative analysis and spatial semiotics as a dual-dimensional coding framework. It analyzes the official curatorial texts and on-site public materials of the exhibition, focusing on the meaning-production logic of the curators' encoding rather than the actual reception effects of the audience. The study demonstrates that the exhibition achieves embodied translation of Han Dynasty philosophy through a three-tiered progressive narrative (spatial-temporal, yin-yang, life) and a three-level spatial sign system. This validates the applicability of spatial narrative and value rhetoric theories in archaeological digital curation, offering theoretical reference for similar archaeological-themed immersive digital exhibitions.

Keywords: Mawangdui Han Tombs; spatial narrative; digital exhibition; value rhetoric; Han Dynasty cosmological and life philosophy
Published: November 3, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.38427
Volume: CHR Vol.125
pp. 191-200
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