Abstract
This paper presents the motivation, exploration, and growing outcome of the Jiang Jian project—a forgotten heroine who was the “Mother of Wounded Warriors,” “Mother of Refugee Children,” and “The Chinese Nightingale” during World War II. Through an unexpected journey, this project evolved from a web design initiative to scholarly research. Not only does this project portray Jiang Jian’s extraordinary life, but also entails the overlooked Mothers’ Movement—a major achievement of the Chinese Women’s Movement in the first half of the 20th century, in which Jiang participated—to a broader audience. During its eight years of operation, about 30,000 wartime refugee children were saved and educated in more than 60 Refugee Schools throughout China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia organized by the Chinese Wartime Refugee Children’s Relief and Education Association (中国战时⼉童保育会) supported mainly by donations. Furthermore, the Mothers’ Movement in China and the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) in the UK during World War II have inspired my latest project Cradlr: An Interaction Design for Refugee Children, which is a human-centered digital product and network concept designed to keep displaced children—a vulnerable population without cell phones—connected with their families, resources, and heritage on a global scale. The social impact of the Chinese Mothers’ Movement and the WVS in the UK will continuously influence my work in the near future.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Mothers' Movement, Refugee Children, Storytelling, China, UK, Web Design, WWII
