Sino-Mexican Heritage Digital Interactive Game Project
"POCHTECA - BACK TO HOME"

 

On the morning of March 14th (afternoon of March 13th in Mexico), the exchange meeting of the Sino-Mexican Heritage Digital Interactive Game Project, hosted by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), was successfully held. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Muriel Oben, Senior Project Officer at UNOSSC, and invited representatives from various international organizations, city governments, and experts from China, the United States, and Mexico to participate. They conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the first innovative cooperative incubation project jointly launched by the Global World Heritage Education Innovation Case Award (AWHEIC) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation. 

Ms. Muriel Oben, Senior Project Officer, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, 

moderated the session

Attendees highly praised the overall concept and cooperation model of the project, unanimously recognizing its significant development potential. Several Mexican cities applied to join on the spot, marking a new phase of Sino-Mexican heritage cooperation through innovative models.

 

Sino-Mexican Heritage Digital Interactive Game Program Exchange Meeting Successfully Held

 

 

Project Background 

and Framework

As the chief planner of the project, Dr. Li Xin, Deputy Secretary-General of our center, introduced the background and overall vision of the project: Since its establishment in 2022, the Global World Heritage Education Innovation Case Award (AWHEIC)（please click for details) has collaborated extensively with UNOSSC (especially Mr. Mu Jingchuan from the Beijing office) and jointly launched the first cooperative incubation project of AWHEIC at the World Heritage Creativity X Innovators Conference in 2023 (please click for details): the Sino-Mexican Digital Heritage Innovation Cooperation Program.

Li Xin + Mu Jingchuan, Project Officers at the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation

The project aims to leverage the powerful cross-disciplinary innovation ecosystem of AWHEIC and actively explore the construction of an open, transnational, win-win cooperation model. In its initial phase, the project focuses on the China Academy of Art (winner of the 2022 Star of the Future Award, please click for more details) and Oaxaca City in Mexico (winner of the 2023 Star of Discovery Award, please click for more details). It fully harnesses the professional capabilities of teachers and students from the Animation and Game College of the China Academy of Art. Through innovative high-tech forms such as music-themed heritage interactive games, the project aims to present and disseminate the profound value of Mexican cultural heritage to the global creative industry. Ultimately, the project will produce two levels of outcomes: firstly, innovation and achievements in the project's own model, and secondly, general guidelines and references for international cooperation innovation, with the aim of providing general guidance for relevant international cooperation innovations.

China Academy of Art and Havaka City Nomination Program Win Global World Heritage Education 

Innovation Cases Awards

 

 

Project Introduction

 

Subsequently, the project's main director, Tong Yuanyuan, Director of the Department of Interactive Media and Games, School of Animation and Games, China Academy of Art, introduced the "POCHTECA – BACK TO HOME"project's basic concept and creative process. The project adopts the basic form of game challenges, using Mexican indigenous music as a clue to link various cultural heritage scenes unique to Mexico organically, such as the streets of Oaxaca City and the pyramids of ancient Indian civilizations. It utilizes high-tech interactive gaming technology to achieve multidimensional interaction between participants and heritage scenes, initiating a unique and fascinating journey of both Mexican music and cultural heritage.

The project team consists of Zhang Yuran, Lin Zhi'an, and Hu Yuyan from the Animation and Game College of China Academy of Art.

Ms. Tong Yuanyuan, and her team presenting

the progress of the project

 

Demo of game page design

 

Game User Journey

 

Original art of Oaxaca

 

Costumes design for the characters

 

Game Interactive Page Display

 

Speeches by Experts and City Representatives

 

The initial results of the project are novel and highly creative, not only providing new perspectives but also fully inspiring enthusiasm from all parties involved. Particularly, representatives from relevant cities in Mexico spoke eagerly, considering the international cooperation model of this project to be highly innovative. They acknowledged that it presents a rare opportunity for Mexican cities and expressed gratitude to the project team for their efforts, stating their willingness to provide all possible support. Everyone expressed confidence in the success of the project, and the representatives from Mexican cities attending the meeting expressed their hope to be included in the project's cooperation framework.the project are novel and highly creative, not only providing new perspectives but also fully inspiring enthusiasm from 

 

 

Carlos Augusto Torres, responsible for cultural heritage at IRPMZ (Instituto Regional del Patrimonio Mundial en Zacatecas), stated: "I am very grateful to Dr. Li Xin for inviting me to serve as an international judge for AWHEIC. The rapid development of AWHEIC in recent years has surprised me. I believe that the Sino-Mexican project provides us with a great opportunity for international cooperation. I am confident that Oaxaca City's award and participation in this project will serve as a good example for other Mexican cities. Without a doubt, more Mexican cities will apply for the AWHEIC award in the future. Personally, I will actively promote it in the Central American region. As a judge, I will also directly recommend outstanding cases. I hope that more Latin American cities will benefit from the strong international cooperation network ecosystem and innovative projects of AWHEIC."

 

 

 

Ángel Osorio, Secretary of Tourism and Development of Oaxaca City, expressed that receiving the AWHEIC award in 2023 was a significant development opportunity for Oaxaca City and considered it to be an honor to take part in this project. He thanked the organizers for providing this precious opportunity for international cooperation. Oaxaca City boasts rich cultural resources and is regarded as a cultural hub of Mexico. Oaxaca is willing to provide images and videos and participate deeply in the project, enriching the game content further with a local perspective.

 

 

The representative of tourism and economic development from Xochimilco expressed that their city has numerous tourist and religious attractions that could be utilized to enrich the game content. A promotion of local resources through the project is also desirable.

 

 

 

Representative Luis Rogelio from Teotihuacan expressed the desire to join this project. He mentioned that they would provide the design team with copyrights for local music with indigenous characteristics, aiming to further promote the influence of Mexican traditional culture.

 

 

Ms. Carolina Castellanos, an international heritage expert from Mexico (serving as an international judge for AWHEIC), expressed gratitude to China and Mexico for their tremendous efforts in this project. She noted that the game design targets a wide age range of audiences and uses visuals and animations to help young people and children better understand Mexico's rich history as well as natural cultural resources.

 

 

To resonate with the history of the 16th-century Sino-Mexican silk and silver trade, Dr. Li Xin invited the silk culture cooperative partner (please click for details) of AWHEIC to attend the meeting. Xie Jing, the curator of the China Silk Archives, pointed out that historically, Manila galleon tightly linked China and Mexico, and Oaxaca City also possesses rich historical archival heritage resources worthy of exploration. This project is highly creative and has built a new bridge for cooperation between China and Mexico through this endeavor.

 

 

As a representative of international youth innovation cooperation, Zhang Xiaofen, the founder of the Huotang Plan (winner of the 2023 Star of Discovery Award, please click for details), pointed out that the project uses vibrant colors and visuals to convey the cultural heritage value. By utilizing local music and gaming platforms, it presents a novel form of creative integration of resources from Chinese universities and the Mexican government, bridging the gap across oceans. Although still in its initial stages, one can sense the dedication and enthusiasm of the project team, instilling confidence in the outcome.

 

Award Ceremony of 2023 AWHEIC held in Riyadh

 

Summary and Prospect

AWHEIC International cooperation networking

 

Ms. Muriel Oben, Senior Project Officer at the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, pointed out: "We have engaged in a series of deep collaborations with the Asia-Pacific Heritage Center's AWHEIC project, including joint publications of global reports (please click for details), and co-incubation projects. The South-South Cooperation Office attaches great importance to the Sino-Mexican Digital Heritage Innovation Cooperation Program, as this innovative project holds significant potential. We hope that everyone will continue to communicate supply and demand, further enrich and improve the cooperation framework. Oaxaca City has expressed gratitude to me on multiple occasions for the Asia-Pacific Heritage Center's support. I believe this is a great start. Let's work together to create a new paradigm in the field of international cooperation, allowing more Mexican cities and South-South countries to benefit from it."

 

2023 World Heritage Creative X Innovators Conference and AWHEIC Third Anniversary Celebration

 

Over the past three years, we have forged ahead. The Global World Heritage Education Innovation Case Award (AWHEIC) and its constructed innovative cooperation ecosystem are gradually gaining high recognition from the international community. The success of the Sino-Mexican Heritage Digital Interactive Game Project has not only built a bridge of innovation cooperation between China and Mexico spanning the Pacific Ocean, but also opened a new door for the development of AWHEIC. We welcome your participation in building and sharing a global heritage innovation cooperation network, and together, let us welcome the arrival of a new era of scientific and technological heritage!

 

The project's promotional video and demo will be officially released on June 1st. Stay tuned!

  

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