Hua Shanday
Cultural and Creative Design for City University of Macau
The Hua Shan Day visual identity revitalizes the UNESCO World Heritage Huashan Rock Art for contemporary audiences. Inspired by the 2000 year old Luoyue culture the design reconstructs ancient totems depicting ritual prayer and labor. By applying a methodology of contemporary reconstruction the project translates raw red ochre pictograms into a modern geometric brand system. This approach preserves heritage authenticity while creating an accessible engaging visual language that fosters public appreciation and cultural sustainability.
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Hua Shanday by Mao Yuting
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Cultural and Creative Design by Mao Yuting
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Mao Yuting Hua Shanday
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Mao Yuting Cultural and Creative Design
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Unique Properties
Designed for the Guangxi Huashan Scenic Area a UNESCO World Heritage site this project establishes the visual identity for Hua Shan Day. The core concept is the revitalization of the 2000 year old Huashan Rock Art. The design actively extracts and reconstructs ancient Luoyue totems depicting scenes of prayer and labor. By reinterpreting these raw historical symbols through a contemporary design language the project bridges the gap between deep archaeology and modern audiences. It transforms static heritage into a vibrant brand system ensuring the ancient visual legacy continues to inspire future generations.
Tags
Visual Identity, Huashan Rock Art, UNESCO World Heritage, Cultural Branding, Luoyue Culture, Heritage Preservation, Contemporary Reconstruction, Graphic Design, Guangxi China
Production Technology
The visual identity is designed with a digital first approach to minimize physical waste utilizing scalable vector graphics for online promotion and digital exhibitions. For necessary physical applications such as signage and merchandise the design strictly adheres to sustainable practices utilizing recycled paper stocks and soy based inks. The color palette remains faithful to the heritage site utilizing the specific Huashan Red ochre derived from the original hematite pigment used in the rock art ensuring visual consistency and cultural respect.
Design Challenge
The main challenge was to breathe new life into ancient pictograms without losing their historical authenticity. Traditional approaches often result in rigid copying or overly abstract interpretations. The challenge was to find a balance making the 2000 year old symbols speak to a digital native audience while preserving their solemn heritage value. The solution lay in the methodology of contemporary reconstruction simplifying the complex rock textures into clean iconic graphics that are adaptable across media while retaining the soul of the original Luoyue visual language.
Project Duration
The project started in September 2025 in Guangxi, China and finished in December 2025. The project is located in the Huashan Scenic Area, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
Operation Flow
The design functions as an accessible cultural gateway. By simplifying archaeological figures into intelligible modern icons it lowers the cognitive barrier for visitors. The visual system is applied across the scenic area turning wayfinding and branding into an educational experience. Visitors can instantly recognize the motifs connecting the graphics on their tickets or phone screens directly to the cliffs in front of them. This creates a cohesive narrative loop that transforms a passive viewing of archaeological ruins into an engaging relatable cultural discovery.
Research
This research revitalizes the 2000 year old Huashan Rock Art UNESCO World Heritage for modern audiences. The team employed visual archaeology to decode Luoyue totems known as the Frog Man and extracted their geometric DNA from ancient pigments. These forms were reconstructed using contemporary design principles. The resulting visual system preserves historical authenticity while ensuring educational accessibility for future generations.
Inspiration
The design draws direct inspiration from the awe inspiring Huashan Rock Art in Guangxi created by the Luoyue people during the Warring States period to the Eastern Han dynasty. We focused on the iconic monochromatic red ochre figures specifically the distinct forms representing ritual prayer The Frog Man and collective labor. The raw power dynamic postures and the spiritual connection between humans and nature found on the cliff faces served as the primary visual source. We sought not to copy but to decipher the primitive energy of these ancestors and translate it into a modern graphic narrative.
Image Credits
Image #1：CHEN ZILONG； Image #2：HUANG YAN； Image #3：ZHU XUGUAN； Image #4：YANG CHAO； Image #5：LIU XINYU；GU JIAYUAN；MAO YUTING；
Project Overview
Hua Shanday Cultural and Creative Design has been a Bronze winner in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design award category in the year 2025 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Bronze Recognition
Mao Yuting was recognized with the coveted Bronze A' Design Award in 2026, a testament to excellence of their work Hua Shanday Cultural and Creative Design.
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