2009 Summer Activity - Communications Museum

New Generation, Love Communication

Human civilizations and cultures are built upon communication - the sharing of information and ideas. About 35,000 years ago, mankind communicated by means of cave paintings for transmission of messages. Starting approximately in the year 2000 BC, Cuneiform appeared and human language started to be engraved on clay tablets. With the invention and development of papermaking and printing technology, languages and cultures of human being are spread out and broadcasted to the whole of the world. At the end of the course, participants can take their exclusive works of bamboo slip, clay tablet and personal postcard home as a souvenir.

Contents:

  1. Ways of communication before the birth of written words
    • Ways of communication, from the ancient era to the present
    • Message of ancient people: Why do they paint on the wall of cave?
    • Workshop: Drawing your message on the cobblestone
    • Interactive game: Do you understand my message on the cobblestone?
  2. Language and words before the invention of paper making
    • Language is the code of sound: Transmission and reception
    • Reading and writing, words and sound: A never ending story of language
    • Interactive game: Official language versus dialects
    • Evolution of words: Written in different styles and fonts
    • Workshop: Make an imitated clay tablet
  3. Invention of paper making and writing instrument
    • Writing instrument of Chinese: Brushes
    • Workshop: Make a bamboo slip and write your name with Small Seal Script
    • Cailun?s papermaking technology and material
    • Ancient and modern printing: Printing technology of ancient Chinese and Gutternberg, modern printing of offset and Pantone
    • Interactive game: Colour mix and match
  4. Communication in paper media
    • Living in a society of paper: Physical documents
    • Paper show of postal/philatelic products, are there anything not made of paper?
    • Mini-theatre: Communication Engineering
    • Virtual communication: Communication without paper
    • Workshop: Use recycled paper to make a postcard
    • Award presented to the best selection of works in the whole course
    • Sharing party