This article develops a child-oriented theoretical framework for the design of Tibetan Bangdian children’s science picture books, addressing both the lack of child perspective and the formal monotony that currently characterize ethnic-cultural publications for young readers. Rather than presenting empirical findings, the study undertakes a conceptual construction grounded in developmental psychology and multimodal learning theory. By systematically integrating Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stage Theory, Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, the article proposes a Developmental, Scaffolding, and Multi-Channel Integrated Design Model tailored to the cognitive, emotional, and perceptual characteristics of children.

A Child-Oriented Theoretical Framework for Designing Tibetan Bangdian Children’s Science Picture Books

As the special aesthetic form Tibetan Buddhism, Thangka has constructed the sacredness in flux through the continuity of aesthetic form, ecological concepts and social functions. In this paper, taking Regong Thangka as an example, explained how religious art building connection between true self and imaginary world through its creation and use, and achieving a balance between local value and sacred attribute, thereby carrying and sustaining the collective memory and cultural identity of a community upon the perspectives of Yi-Fu Tuan's humanistic geography. The construction of geographical imagery is essentially a transformation from space to place. Religious doctrines and liturgical rites serve as the carrier for the utopian spiritual world, while the application of native natural and cultural resources enables the transformation of topophilia. A ternary mutual construction relation involving geographical imagery, sacrality, and cultural identity was proposed, which portrayed a symbiotic structure of Thangka cultural ecosystem containing the environment shaping cultural identity, art imbues geography with meaning, and cultural identity feeds back into and amplifies cultural dissemination. Thangka painters transform the physical space into a sacred spiritual place with religious meaning, while practitioners enter a ritualized place from an image space. The above findings respond to and bridge the theoretical viewpoints put forward by Yi-Fu Tuan including space and place, escapism and topophilia, thereby providing a new perspective for interpreting religious cultural heritages represented by Thangka.

Geographical Imagery, Sacrality, and Cultural Identity: the Regong Thangka of Qinghai Through the Humanistic Geography Lens of Yi-Fu Tuan

Jibengang Lhakang stands as the sole ancient edifice in Lhasa constructed according to the mandala structure and represents the first ancient building in the city to undergo protective renovation into an art center. It serves as a landmark of Lhasa's Old City and is recognized as one of the city-level cultural heritage conservation units. Inside Jibengang Lhakang, a plethora of Qing Dynasty murals adorn the walls, exhibiting high artistic value. Despite the art center's exhibitions being well-known, the internal murals have been largely overlooked, with academic research on them remaining underdeveloped. These murals, rich in themes, possess unique aesthetic and research value, serving as treasures of Tibetan art and important carriers for studying Tibetan history and culture. This paper systematically organizes and summarizes the artistic imagery of the murals within Jibengang Lhakang and briefly analyzes their artistic styles.

Iconographic Representation of the Murals at Jibengang Lhakang in Lhasa

In the digital era, video games have emerged as a dominant medium within popular culture and have demonstrated a mutually reinforcing relationship with the communication of distinctive Chinese ethnic cultures. Open-world games, characterized by their realism, freedom, and immersive qualities, have proven particularly effective in cultural preservation and educational engagement, establishing themselves as a vital medium for cultural transmission in recent years. Building upon this foundation, this study proposes an integrated open-world game design model tailored for the communication of distinctive ethnic cultures, drawing on environmental storytelling theory and the MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) game design framework. To validate the feasibility of this model, the research team developed The Legend of Guge, an open-world game prototype based on the ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom in Tibet. The findings suggest that this model provides a novel theoretical framework for designing educational open-world games centered on ethnic cultural heritage, thereby expanding the avenues through which such cultures can be represented in educational gaming contexts.

Research on the Design of Open World Games for the Communication of Distinctive Ethnic Cultures—A Case Study of the Tibetan Culture Game the Legend of Guge

This article analyzes Aby Warburg’s Serpent Ritual lecture—delivered at Bellevue Sanatorium during his recovery—as both visual analysis and therapeutic act. By adopting a shamanic role and using slides as ritual instruments, Warburg transformed scholarship into a performative healing practice. Using his iconological method, cultural psychology, and the concept of Pathosformel, the study interprets the lecture’s images as mediators between inner psychic states and cultural symbols. The lecture emerges as a symbolic act of self-rescue and a rehearsal for his interdisciplinary “nameless science.” Anticipating the Mnemosyne Atlas, it demonstrates how image, ritual, and mental crisis intersect, underscoring the lecture’s originality and lasting significance in the history of visual thought.

The Ritual of the Serpent: Image Analysis and Psychic Healing in  Aby Warburg's 'Serpent Ritual' Lecture

Supporting Institution:Tibet Thangka Art and Culture Association

Journal of Himalayan Arts & Culture

ISSN 3135-2588

Abstract/Indexing: Google Scholar、Index of Copernicus

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