Immersive storytelling technologies in museum presentation of ethnic-minority cultural heritage

: insights from a case study of Miao culture

Abstract

Museums increasingly use digital media to interpret living cultural practices, yet the presentation of ethnic-minority culture in museums often remains object-centred. Displays can communicate material detail and craftsmanship, but may provide limited access to intangible cultural heritage, lived practice, and cultural context. This thesis addresses this challenge through a case study of Miao culture in Southwest China, examining how immersive storytelling formats can support the presentation of cultural practices and their contexts.
The research follows a three-phase mixed-methods problem-solution design. Fieldwork at the Guizhou Provincial Museum and the Yunnan Nationalities Museum combined exhibition observation, interviews, and visitor surveys. Based on these findings, a single cultural story from one Miao village was developed and produced as a 2D documentary, a 360° documentary, and a virtual reality simulation. Two controlled laboratory experiments then compared these formats in relation to presence, engagement indicators, knowledge learning, and cultural appreciation.
The findings show that each format supported museum presentation in different ways. The 2D documentary was stronger for factual recall, the 360° documentary was stronger for presence, and VR simulation supported exploration and enjoyment. In VR, light guidance improved access to key cultural information without reducing reported presence. Overall, the results suggest that presence, engagement, knowledge learning, and cultural appreciation vary across media formats and should be considered in museum design.
The thesis contributes to digital cultural heritage scholarship by treating immersive storytelling as a set of museum presentation choices rather than as a technological upgrade, offering practical evidence for selecting and structuring media formats in relation to stakeholder needs, curatorial aims, and a concrete cultural case.

Date of Award	19 Jul 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Nottingham
Supervisor	Filippo Gilardi (Supervisor), Sadia Jamil (Supervisor) & Levi Dean (Supervisor)