November 7, 2025

Early China Seminar Lecture Series

Title: “Digital Mawangdui: Visualizing the Art of Transformation through Scientific Imaging and Multimedia Storytelling”
Speaker: Chenchen Lü, Harvard University
Time: November 7, 2025 (4:30-6:30 PM EST)
Venue: Faculty House
*Please check the announcement board in the first floor lobby for room information.
**Please use the ‘Request Pre-circulated Paper’ link to RSVP by November 3. All visitors without a CUID are required to receive pre-authorization to gain access to Morningside campus as per guidelines of Columbia Morningside campus access. Attendees must present a government-issued ID with their name matching exactly the name registered for the event, along with an one-time QR code (via email), for entry.

This talk explores how cutting-edge imaging technologies and immersive media are transforming our understanding of the Han dynasty Mawangdui tombs. Drawing from CAMLab’s interdisciplinary research and the recent publication Cosmic Cycle of Life 生命时空, the project Digital Mawangdui reinterprets the material, cosmological, and spiritual dimensions of Mawangdui through a multisensory lens. From XRF pigment mapping to high-resolution textile reconstruction, from 3D visualization of funerary objects to AI-driven interactive storytelling, the project reveals the dynamic processes of hua (化)—transformation—that define Han concepts of life, death, and the cosmos. This talk presents the development of a digital platform and immersive exhibition that reimagines the tomb not as a static burial site, but as a generative space where philosophical imagination, alchemical knowledge, and sensory experience converge. By bridging scientific analysis with artistic expression, Digital Mawangdui offers a new model for multimedia storytelling in cultural heritage interpretation.