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October 2025 - Video Release
A concise project video, including selected slices from the short documentary film of the project and a filmed interview with the PI, has been officially released by the University of Sheffield. Watch it in the University of Sheffield Player here: https://player.sheffield.ac.uk/events/decoding-dong-digitally-preserving-their-architectural-heritage Or via the University Central Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=Ok9yBGYsusNTHgIx&v=_3J2np3dBWg&feature=youtu.


September 2025 - Conference Presentation
We attended the 14th SAHC conference "Heritage Conservation in the Digital Era" at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, with our presentation titled " Digital Dong: heritage assessment, reality capturing and 3D modelling " and delivered in-person by Dr Xiang Ren.


July 2025 - Following-on Conservation Project
We have secured our first following-on project, directly commissioned by the local and regional authority, to deliver an urgency benchmark conservation project in Longli Township. "Longlisuo Conservation and Restoration Project", 2025, RMB 198,000 (equivalent £20,000).


June 2025 - KE & Impact Award
Our project has been longlisted for this year’s University of Sheffield Knowledge Exchange and Impact Awards - the Outstanding Partnership or Impact in Creativity/Culture/Society!


May 2025 - Policy Advice Delivered
We delivered our policy briefing via the formal policy document <Qiandongnan Prefecture Urban-Rural Historic Cultural Heritage Preservation 2025-2035>!


April 2025 - Invited Policy Advice
We were contacted by the Head of Department of Qiandongnan Prefecture Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Regeneration to advise their final draft policy <Qiandongnan Prefecture Urban-Rural Historic Cultural Heritage Preservation 2025-2035>.


April 2025 - Conference Paper
Our paper "Digital Dong: Heritage Assessment, Reality Capturing and 3D Modelling" has been accepted by the 14th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions 2025 with the theme on"Heritage Conservation in the Digital Era", to be hosted at EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland.


March 2025 - Conference Presentation
We presented in the conference "The Rise of Asia 70 Years after Bandung" at UNESCO Paris Headquarters and Universite Le Havre Normandie upon the invitation from the conference co-organiser, during which Dr Xiang Ren delivered the presentation " Learning from Dong Settlements ".


February 2025 - Conference Invitation
We are invited to present our works at "The Rise of Asia 70 Years after Bandung" international interdisciplinary conference at UNESCO Paris Headquarter and Universite Le Havre Normandie in March.


February 2025 - Open House
We are presenting our models and documentary videos at the School's Open Studio internal event today! @12F Room C, The Arts Tower, University of Sheffield.


January 2025 - MOU Sign-off
We delivered our third policy impact workshop at the Qiandongnan Miao & Dong Autonomous Prefecture Bureau of Rural and Urban Regeneration and Housing. A MoU towards 2025-2028 has been signed off, on the following five strategic areas: 1) strategic planning and design regeneration on listed villages and townships; 2) conservation studies for traditional villages; 3) key building conservation, such as the Dong drum tower, including digitisation and adaptive reuse; 4) Historic c


On 25-27 October 2024
We attended the annual EWAP symposium in Oxford and the following British Academy conference “Knowing the Vernacular”, actively...


On 12 September 2024
We presented our work-in-proces s and engaged national and regional policy-makers at the 23th annual conference of National Architecture...


On 15 August 2024
We delivered our second policy impact workshop at the Qiandongnan Miao & Dong Autonomous Prefecture Bureau of Rural and Urban...


On 31 July 2024
Taking a day off from the remote Dong villages, we delivered our first policy impact workshop at the Qiandongnan Miao & Dong Autonomous...


On 14 July 2024…
A view from the window of where the fieldwork team lived – and the county road we would start our travel from early morning every day....


One day in July 2024…
Everyday we made lots of friends with Dong villagers by showing them the working images from the scanning and modelling of their built...


One day in July 2024…
Found an abandoned drum tower of an older version with the advice from the villagers. We started to involve rapid documentation of...


One day in July 2024…
We arrived at a small village called Rong Fu but only to find their drum tower has been destroyed by the fire long ago…The rare...


One day in July 2024…
Our best fieldwork assistants and team efforts in documenting the difficult site!
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