Abstract

Classic of Mountains and Seas is probably one of the most ancient books about geography. The history of this book dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (1134 BC to 256 BC) or even earlier. Classic of Mountains and Seas is structured with 18 fascicles and has remained generally unaltered since the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368). This book is not a narrative; it details descriptions of locations in the mountains, seas, lands, and wilderness. The descriptions are usually about medicines, monsters, and geological features. Many of the descriptions are very mundane. Chapters follow the same pattern, and the whole book consists of different topics in that way.

This book contains rich legends and fairy tales, which are valuable for historical studies, especially for research on elements of primitive society in China, such as surnames, tribes, understandings of the universe, and nature. Since ancient times, this book has been seen as an encyclopedia. It illustrates beyond the limits of space and time and records the magical figures, local cultures and rituals, and all kinds of gardens and treasures. Moreover, among hundreds of mythical monsters that were described in the book Classic of Mountains and Seas, most of them are obscure in terms of location, attributes, and function.

Since the old book designs are ancient, challenging, and use vague language, most versions of the book don’t have English descriptions. People with limited knowledge of Chinese culture may not understand the stories behind the monsters. The thesis project presented in this study is a redesign of the mythical monster characters in this book. The purpose of this project is not only to design memorable and attractive characters to give non-Chinese audiences direct information about the monsters but to also design a concise book that can convey cultural messages to those who want to know more about traditional Chinese culture.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Fairy tales--China--Interactive multimedia--Design; Folklore--China--Interactive multimedia--Design

Publication Date

11-13-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School of Design (CAD)

Advisor

Nancy A. Ciolek

Advisor/Committee Member

Carol Fillip

Advisor/Committee Member

Lorrie Frear

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

VISCOM-MFA

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