Immersive Spatial Narrative for Classical Chinese Literature Learning in Virtual Reality

Abstract Book of the 11th International Conference on Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

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Immersive Spatial Narrative for Classical Chinese Literature Learning in Virtual Reality

Prof. Hsuancheng Lin, Wei Hsu

ABSTRACT:

This study explores how immersive virtual environments can support the interpretation of classical Chinese literature through spatial narrative and embodied perception. Traditional approaches to teaching classical texts often rely heavily on linguistic analysis and historical explanation, making it difficult for contemporary students to emotionally engage with literary imagery and poetic atmosphere. In response, this research proposes a teaching framework that integrates virtual reality (VR), spatial storytelling, and techno-art methodologies to reconstruct literary conception as an immersive perceptual experience.
The study was conducted within an interdisciplinary design studio at National Cheng Kung University, where students transformed classical Chinese texts into interactive virtual environments. Rather than directly illustrating textual content, students were encouraged to reinterpret literary imagery through spatial transformation, environmental interaction, sound, light, and temporal perception. The project positioned students not only as readers, but also as directors of immersive narrative experiences.
Using The Red Cliff Rhapsody as a representative case study, this paper examines how poetic elements such as drifting movement, moonlight, water surfaces, and shifting perspectives were translated into VR spatial experiences. The research discusses how immersive environments can function as perceptual interfaces that bridge textual imagination and embodied understanding.
The findings suggest that VR-based spatial narrative can enhance students’ interpretive engagement, creative agency, and emotional connection to classical literature. More importantly, the study argues that immersive technologies should not merely serve as visualization tools, but as platforms for reconstructing cultural perception and narrative experience. This research contributes to emerging discussions on immersive learning, digital humanities, embodied pedagogy, and AI-supported cultural storytelling within contemporary higher education.

Keywords: Virtual Reality, Immersive Learning, Spatial Narrative, Embodied Learning, Classical Chinese Literature, Digital Humanities, Cultural Storytelling