This summer, I interned as a research assistant at PKUPDI, an institution covering urban planning, renewal projects, and, of course, preservation, located in Beijing, China. During the 6-week-long timespan, I took on various tasks ranging from map drawing and archival studies to field research and digitalization. It has been a great opportunity for me to compare preservation work back in my home country to the knowledge and practices I learned and experienced at UPenn.
Most of my work during my internship was linked to one of their projects concerned with the investigation and documentation of ancient trails in the coastal province of Fujian, in the southeastern part of China. The work was separated into different periods by counties, and I was able to participate in the documentation work of several counties, which were also at different stages. The techniques I learned and reinforced in Digital Media have been particularly helpful, as I helped process geodata in GIS software and converted them into maps and charts. Documentation skills covered in our Documentation class also played a vital part, when the team moved on to preparation work for other counties and the planned field trip in December 2025. My work subsequently switched to reading documents, some of which date back to the 16th century. These efforts helped locate ancient landmarks and towns on modern maps, and information about postal stations and trails often marked the directions of these passageways, serving as a guide for the follow-up field trips, which seek to examine the preservation status of these trails. For me, the experience has provided valuable insight into the documentation of these "linear" cultural relics, which might be similar when it comes to other sites of transportation.
Some of my other works have been equally unforgettable. I was lucky to get the chance of taking the digitalization work of one of the “wild” Great Wall sites in the suburbs of Beijing, after we have discussed the site of its nature as both a commemorative and a historical monument in the Theories class several months earlier. It was a rewarding moment when I stood on the edge of the mountain where the Wall extended, after an ascend of over 1,300 feet! I was also able to get in contact with other preservation scholars in China, and was able to undertake some works related to them, including some follow-up studies on the natural landscape of Diaoyu Fortress in Chongqing, China, which was a major battlefield in the conquer of the Mongolian Empire back in the 13th century, and has also put effort into being designated as a tentative (and later inscribed) world heritage site.
I have been thinking about returning to China for further trainings and experience as a preservationist while adaptively applying the techniques I got in class in the past year. The experience of getting trained in the US and interning back in China proved to be a process of comparative learning, and I would surely cherish the chances to perceive the similarities and differences in archival studies, natures and characteristics of the sites, and the atmosphere of the preservation community.
View Slideshow
