MakeBronze: An interactive system to promote Chinese bronze culture in children through hands-on experience with lost-wax casting

Abstract

Chinese bronze is a significant symbol of Chinese rich history and culture. However, disseminating bronze culture to children is challenging due to the lack of effective approaches to engage them. A survey of 467 Chinese children showed that their knowledge of bronzes primarily comes from traditional teaching methods, such as books and exhibitions. Hands-on opportunities for children to interact with bronzes and experience how they were made thousands of years ago are rare. Therefore, we designed MakeBronze, an interactive system mainly composed of a robotic arm, a drawing tablet, and cameras to allow children to experience the lost-wax casting and create their own artifacts. A study with 60 children showed that MakeBronze could better help them understand the fabrication process and raise their interest in bronze culture. Our work offers insights into how technologies that are easily accessible to children can be exploited for bronze culture preservation.