Visual Narrative Design for Gen Z in China: A Conceptual Framework for Integrating Traditional Aesthetics into Interactive Short Videos
List of Authors
Liang Jingjing, Suraya Md Nasir
Keyword
Visual Narrative Design; Interactive Short Videos; Traditional Chinese Aesthetics; Platform Culture; Generation Z
Abstract
Short video platforms have become central spaces of visual expression and cultural participation for Generation Z in China. While these platforms facilitate the rapid circulation of interactive visual narratives, representations of traditional Chinese aesthetics within short-form video content often remain fragmented or confined to surface-level visual references. This limitation raises an important question concerning how traditional aesthetic principles can be meaningfully translated into contemporary interactive narratives rather than merely reproduced as symbolic decoration. In response, this study proposes a conceptual framework for integrating traditional Chinese aesthetics into the visual narrative design of interactive short videos. Drawing on visual narrative theory, traditional aesthetic philosophy, and recent scholarship on platform-based youth culture, the framework reinterprets key aesthetic concepts—such as Yi Jing, Liu Bai, symbolic imagery, and rhythmic visual organization—as operative narrative logic within interactive media systems. Adopting a qualitative and theoretical approach, the study develops an analytical model consisting of four interrelated dimensions: Aesthetic Foundation, Narrative Structure, Interaction Mechanism, and Cultural Resonance. By positioning traditional aesthetics as a dynamic and generative resource rather than a static cultural reference, this research contributes to ongoing discussions on culturally grounded digital design and visual storytelling in contemporary Asian contexts. The framework is intended to support both scholarly inquiry and creative practice concerned with the relationship between cultural tradition and emerging visual media forms.