Abstract

This independent study investigates the potential of WebXR and Three.js to create an immersive and interactive "Archive 3.0" that captures the fluid identity of the Hoa people in present-day Vietnam. The term Hoa refers to a group of ethnically Chinese communities in Vietnam. Drawing inspiration from Michael Shanks' concept of Archives 3.0, defined as a prosthetic architecture that bridges physical and virtual elements, the research project examines how Three.js, one of the most popular WebXR libraries, can be used to create a gallery-like experience for users, allowing them to interact directly with 3D digital content without requiring any head-mounted or handheld devices. The project consists of two main sections.

The first section of the paper delves into the history of archives and how their meaning has evolved over time. As powerful institutions of information, archives in various forms (museums, libraries, and the internet) significantly shape the way we perceive others and ourselves. Through the 2009 project \emph{Life Squared}, Michael Shanks proposed the notion of Archives 3.0. Shanks' Archives 3.0 serves as inspiration and a promising "archiving technique" to capture the fluid identities of ethnically Chinese communities. From here, the project explores various social and political models that have shaped the Chinese identity of ethnically Chinese communities in present-day Vietnam. The project analyzes different models, such as Nguyen's \emph{bang} and \emph{phủ} systems, the French Chinese congregation, \emph{huiguan}, and Chinese temples, which serve as spaces where Chinese identity is continuously negotiated by internal and external forces within these communities.

The second section of the paper outlines the steps involved in designing an interactive and immersive WebXR archive focused on the Hoa people's experiences from 1975 onward. Following the Second Indochina War (the late 1940s to 1975), over two million Indochinese, including present-day Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese, fled to refugee camps in neighboring countries throughout East and Southeast Asia. Vietnam saw the largest refugee exodus, marking the highest migration rate in Asia during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Among these refugees were ethnically Chinese Vietnamese. This section covers the components of a Three.js project and outlines the steps involved in designing an interactive and immersive WebXR project using Three.js to archive the Hoa experiences from 1975 onward. Different 3D models are introduced and displayed in the virtual archive, exploring how Three.js built-in loaders, HTML, the HTML canvas element, and other web components can be utilized to create an interactive and immersive web archive.

A careful examination of Vietnamese identity reveals that it consists of many non-Vietnamese elements, including Khmer, Cham, and Chinese. Scholars such as Keith Taylor argue that the term "Viet" in "Vietnamese" is actually the Vietnamese pronunciation of the term Yüeh, which the Chinese used to refer to the ancient Vietnamese and other communities living in southern China. Recently, there has been a push for a more "authentic" Vietnamese identity among scholars, one that is disentangled from Chinese culture. However, such efforts fall into the assumption of a myth of a single and unified Chinese culture without any consideration of the various fragments characterized by local customs and traditions that define Chinese identity.

Advisor

Montelione, Thomas

Second Advisor

Ng,Margaret Wee Siang

Department

Computer Science; History

Disciplines

Asian History | Chinese Studies | Digital Humanities | Ethnic Studies | Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces | Historic Preservation and Conservation | Immigration Law | Interactive Arts | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Software Engineering

Keywords

Computer Graphics, Overseas Chinese, Hoa, Refugee Exodus, Second Indochina War, WebXR, WebGL, HTML Canvas, Migration, Refugee Seekers, OpenGL, OpenGL ES, Bat lai duung lai, Chinese identity, Ho Chi Minh City, Cultural Identity, Huiguan, Extended Reality, VR, AR, MR, Real-time rendering, Rendering pipeline

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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