Digital Humanities Student Intern (2024 Seed Funding DH Project)
PENG Wanwen
Student Reflection
Wanwen is one of our student interns who actively participated in our 2024 Digital Humanities Seed Funding Project (Prof. David Chang’s project) from September 2024 to January 2025.
See below the words from Wanwen regarding her experience on this project!
I am Peng Wanwen, Macqueena, a final-year student majoring in Global China Studies. My primary responsibilities in this project included scanning paper diaries into digital images, searching for relevant data and maps, and designing posters for price lists.
Data & Research
In terms of data collection, I searched for and organized various aspects of information. First, regarding historical data, I investigated significant historical events related to the War of Resistance against Japan that occurred in 1945, when the diary was written. These data were used to compare the events mentioned by the author in the diary and were combined to create a dual-axis macro and micro timeline. Additionally, I searched for historical maps of the cities and counties mentioned in the diaries from Henan and Shaanxi Provinces in the 1940s.
The second aspect involved map data. To clearly illustrate the author’s route during his escape from the War of Resistance against Japan, I searched for all the locations mentioned by the author in his diary, along with descriptions of those places. However, I encountered significant challenges during this process. Many of these 80-year-old place names no longer exist, have been renamed, or are too common, resulting in numerous duplicates, which complicated the search. Through practice, I developed an effective method: first, I identified the “before and after” locations of the uncertain place names, which helped me determine the approximate shortest route. Then, I checked the positions of the duplicate locations one by one to find one ultimately situated between the identified places.
Technical Application
After gathering all the relevant data, I needed to write it into code. As a Global China Studies (GCS) student, this was my first experience using GitHub. I learned how to modify the code on this platform by downloading it and editing it with VS Code. I also learned to use VS Code to update the webpage’s content in real-time and apply coding languages to change the webpage content.
Content and Poster Design
In addition to data collection and editing, I also worked on content and poster design.
For the content, while carefully reading the diary that documents the escape during the War of Resistance against Japan, I noticed that the author detailed the distance between himself and the Japanese army, the relevant news he heard, and his inner feelings of panic. Based on these descriptions, I designed a danger level system where each day’s distance from the Japanese army corresponded to different danger levels. In the website design, I employed a one to five-star rating to indicate the danger levels, allowing viewers to easily understand when the author faced significant risks and when he was in a safer situation. This approach also resonates with the theme of the diary, which focuses on the history of escape during the War of Resistance against Japan.
Regarding poster design, I employed content analysis to read the diary, recording the prices mentioned by the author, the varying prices during the War of Resistance against Japan across different regions, and the severe inflation phenomenon. I organized all the prices by province, allowing viewers to see the differences between prices in 1945 and today. Then, a price list poster was created in a vintage menu style, making it visually appealing and engaging.
Conclusion
Overall, through this project, I engaged with invaluable primary historical materials and utilized data scanning to record and preserve these firsthand accounts from 80 years ago. I also uncovered historical details embedded within these materials, such as the prices in 1945 and the everyday lives of ordinary people during the War of Resistance against Japan. These details bring the grand narrative of the War of Resistance against Japan to life, allowing me to deeply feel the emotional fluctuations experienced by the author each day.
By collecting and editing data and historical maps, as well as designing the danger level and price list posters, I hope to faithfully recreate the author’s experience of fleeing during the War of Resistance against Japan in 1945. I aim to help more people understand this historical period and grasp the difficult circumstances individuals faced amidst the larger narrative of war, fostering a sense of interaction and empathy with the diary’s author, Lee Yonggang.
PENG Wanwen
Year 4, BSc in Global China Studies