Reinventing the Tower of Babel

Keywords:

Tower of Babel,New Marco Polo Programme, Virtual Reality, China-Italy relations，Small and medium scale, Historical abstraction,History Museum

Individual work

August 2021 - November 2021 (Revision October 2022)

Instructor: Feiran XU

Location: Prato, Italy

The project focuses on the central Italian city of Prato. This relatively tolerant city embraces immigrants from all countries and has Italy's most significant number of Chinese immigrants. According to official statistics in Prato, Chinese immigrant businesses have grown to almost 3,000, topping the list of immigrant businesses from all countries. More than 1,500 Chinese children have been born in Prato, accounting for 18% of the total number of children in the city. However, there are many crises in this immigrant city, such as security problems and conservative discontent with the Chinese for taking economic resources, as well as the Chinese community itself for tax evasion and disruption of social security.

This project addresses the hidden conflicts between the various ethnic groups by reconstructing a kind of Tower of Babel built by the people of the Old Testament in Chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis. According to the chapter, humanity united to build a tower that they hoped would lead to heaven; when God became aware of this, he made the people use different languages, and the tower was not built, and the Tower of Babel was destroyed without being built. In the future, we can finally realise the unfulfilled wishes of the ancient people by employing virtual and realistic means. This is particularly true of a city where Chinese and Italian cultures strongly collide. Extracting essential elements from the historical process of both countries will enable the two peoples to look back on their history and promote better unity between them in the future.

1970 Istituzione formale delle relazioni diplomatiche tra Cina e Italia 1978 Firmato il comunicato congiunto sull'immigrazione tra Cina e Italia,arrivano primi immigrati in Italia 2004 Accordo Cina-Italia per il rilascio rapido dei visti,enorme afflusso di immigrati cinesi Accordo Belt and Road 2012 in vigore 50 anni di relazioni diplomatiche tra Cina e Italia nel 2020,i primi migranti hanno difficoltà di identità

1970 Formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy 1978 Joint communiqué on immigration signed between China and Italy,first immigrants arrive in Italy 2004 China-Italy fast-track visa agreement, huge influx of Chinese immigrants 2012 Belt and Road Agreement in effect 50 years of diplomatic relations between China and Italy in 2020,first migrants have identity difficulties

Hau's story of forty years

I've arrived in Prato, Italy, it's full of foreigners, we're the first Chinese. The head of the snake has asked me to spend the next two days here and I'll send you the pictures I've taken of the landscape when I have time.

The years of hard work were not in vain and I no longer had to brave the rain to sell water. Now I've moved to a Chinese owned textile factory where there are many Chinese people, and now I have a steady income and was voted best employee this week. In a few years you will be able to come here too.

Roman Empire Shang Dynasty Renaissance the Qin and Han dynasties

Foreign rule and enlightenment Ming Dynasty Savoy Dynasty Qing Dynasty Republican period PRC

Chinese numbers up sharply

Today I set up my own factory, I hired a lot of workers and now life is finally in order, I also bought my first computer, I'm emailing you today and in a few days I'll buy you a plane ticket. We can finally be reunited! This is a picture of our factory, our garment factory, and I am sure that in a few years our factory will be even better think it has become Chinatown and the Chinese have become the dominant group, with Chinese people involved in food, clothing, housing and transport. We have both lived here for over 10 years and found that we may not be able to adapt to the pace of China

Dear

Our child passed away, due to a car accident. I don't think I need to go back to China either, because I don't think there's anything to hold on to there.

Since the outbreak of covid-19 a large number of Chinese have come home, but old people like me can't adapt to the pace of China anymore. Now use vr glasses and just look at my home in the metauniverse.

Real-world architecture can not only provide a longawaited homecoming for Chinese immigrants in Italy, but can also promote national integration

Here each person can materialise their wishes in the spiritual world, transforming them into small red squares attached to the building, interacting between the virtual and the real world.