Yiping Wang

Born from Folklore, Carried Through Time

Traditional Chinese stories contain animal figures with complex cultural meanings, but these meanings can be difficult for contemporary readers from different cultural backgrounds to access, particularly when relevant material is spread across mythology, folklore and literature.

This project explores how pop-up books can reinterpret the cultural meanings of the fox, snake and crow for contemporary readers. It presents three standalone bilingual (Chinese–English) pop-up books, each exploring one animal through stories and representations from different historical periods. The research combines historical and cultural sources with studies of existing pop-up books and publication design.

The final books combine printmaking-inspired illustration, pop-up scenes and bilingual text.  A complementary stamp set, poster and packaging extend the project's visual identity and encourage further engagement with the stories.