Dr Jin Gao is a Lecturer in Digital Archives at the UCL Department of Information Studies, an Associate Director of UCL Centre for Digital Humanities. She is teaching on the MA/MSc in Digital Humanities programmes and MA in Archives and Records Management programme. Jin is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum working on various collaborative research projects, such as the Chinese Export Watercolours (CEW) project. She has also been co-editing the book series Intelligent Computing for Cultural Heritage (Routledge, 2024), a volume that brings together international perspectives on digital humanities topics in cultural contexts.
1.How do you define Digital Humanities?
Digital Humanities offers the possibility to ask old questions in new ways, to ask questions that would otherwise be impossible to ask, and more importantly, digital humanities also has a role in interrogating computing and AI in society and culture, and vice versa. So we’re looking at the digital through humanistic lens and not only the humanistic through a digital lens.
2. How did you become interested in DH?
I think I can say that I am a digital humanist by training, and with seven years of working experiences within the museum sector, my background is more situated within the realm of digital cultural heritage. I became interested in DH when I realised the power of digital tools to surface hidden narratives, connect disparate collections, and engage broader communities. Over time, I’ve found DH to be a space where experimentation, interdisciplinarity, and social responsibility can come together, particularly in rethinking how we document, represent, and share cultural heritage.
3. Tell us about one of your DH projects
I’m currently leading a collaborative project between UCL and the V&A on Chinese Export Watercolours (CEW). We’re using digital tools, from cataloguing and image analysis, AR and interactive exhibitions, to explore the provenance and reinterpretation of this unique collection. It’s not just about digitisation but about understanding how digital storytelling and public engagement can open new pathways for research, access, and conversations. The project is still ongoing, and it also supports student researchers and is developing an AR exhibition for UCL East.
4. And a DH project you like?
I’ve always admired Transcribe Bentham for how it brings cultural heritage work into the public domain. It doesn’t just crowdsource transcription, it builds community, blurs the line between expert and volunteer, and shows how digital infrastructure can extend the life and relevance of historical materials. Projects like this remind me that DH is not only about technology but about trust, care, and imagination.
The UCL Centre for Digital Humanities (UCLDH), part of the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, is a cross-faculty research hub that bridges digital technologies and the humanities. It supports a wide array of work across the Arts, Humanities, and Cultural Heritage sectors, offering services such as research support, hosting digital humanities events and courses, providing consultancy for digital projects, and facilitating teaching and research in digitisation technologies.
The centre draws on UCL’s expertise in information studies, computer science, and the arts and humanities, with its research influencing cultural heritage, museums, libraries, archives, and broader cultural sectors. It is home to a diverse network of affiliated scholars from across UCL, who teach and conduct research across multiple disciplines, contributing to a broad spectrum of digital humanities work, including library services, museums, and collections.
Teaching on DH
While the centre does not directly offer Digital Humanities (DH) courses, the Department of Information Studies, along with several other departments, provides a range of relevant short courses, undergraduate, and postgraduate modules. These include courses such as Digital Conservations and Marketing, Digital Geographies, and The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, the department offers two postgraduate programs in DH: the MA/MSc in Digital Humanities.
DH academics
Professor Oliver Duke-Williams – Programme Director for the MA Digital Humanities and MSc Digital Humanities. Oliver’s work relates to the present, future and past of censuses in the UK. Within DH research, Oliver is interested in the development of publication and other linked networks of DH researchers, and the relationship between these and language networks.
Dr. Jin Gao– Lecturer in Digital Archives. Jin Gao is interested in the digital cultural heritage, museum provenance studies, history of Digital Humanities, social network analysis, and non-Western cataloguing standards.
Dr. Karen Stepanyan – Associate Professor. Karen’s research is centred on the interdisciplinary integration of information technologies with computational concepts of knowledge. His research interest lies in the advancement of the Semantic Web technologies and understanding of the social fabric behind the Web using Social Network Analysis.
Dr. Vassilis Routsis – Senior Research Fellow. Vassilis’s research interest encompasses technology’s cultural and socio-political impacts, focusing on privacy and interdisciplinary methods in humanities and social sciences research.
Dr. Foteini Valeonti – Sloane Lab Research Fellow. Expert in specialising in leveraging blockchain technology for culture. Foteino’s research focuses on the utilisation of emerging technologies for the benefit of our cultural heritage. Foteino is interested in the research and development of innovative digital products for the cultural heritage sector, relating to the following themes: the Open Content movement (OpenGLAM), the accessibility of art and digitised collections.
Professor Wang Xiaoguang is the Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Information Management and Executive Vice Dean of the Big Data Institute, Director of the Intellectual Computing Laboratory for Cultural Heritage, and Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities at Wuhan University. His research interests are digital asset management, knowledge organisation, semantic publishing, and digital humanities.
1.How do you define Digital Humanities?
Digital humanities is an emerging interdisciplinary research field, with a particular focus on research themes at the intersection of the humanities and digital information technologies. It consists of three main types of research. One is humanities research based on digital resources, including the construction and development of digital resources, as well as the use of these digital information resources and digital tools for traditional humanities research. The second is humanities research based on digital models, that is, the use of digital modelling techniques to model and statistically analyse humanities texts, images, audio and video, and other documentary materials. The third is the research on various emerging digital phenomena.
2. How did you become interested in DH?
After graduating from Wuhan University in 2007 with a degree in Management Science and Engineering, I stayed there to work. Later, I saw that the Kyoto Centre for Digital Literature and Arts at Ritsumeikan University was recruiting postdocs from all over the world, I applied for the position, and I was accepted. During my postdoctoral research at Ritsumeikan University, I learned that the Centre had been awarded a GCOE project by the Japanese government and was actively using digital technology to conduct research on the preservation and revitalisation of Kyoto’s arts and culture.,This is when I came to understand digital humanities as an emerging research area. In my professional sensitivity, I felt that this is a new and valuable research direction, and with the irreversible development of the digital society will be more and more attention, representing the trend of humanities research, but also the cutting-edge of library and information science research. I carried out a more in-depth bibliometric analysis of this research field, and also found that this field is developing rapidly worldwide, more and more research themes are beginning to emerge, and all of them are with obvious interdisciplinary characteristics, which is very attractive. As a result, I have become increasingly interested and engaged.
3. Tell us about one of your DH projects
After returning from Japan, under the support of Prof. Ma Feicheng, I established China’s first Digital Humanities Centre at Wuhan University to promote and publicise the concept of digital humanities research. I have done some digital humanities projects, my favourite of which is the deep semantic annotation of Dunhuang murals in collaboration with the Dunhuang Research Academy in China. We worked with Xia Shengping, the director of the Information Centre of Dunhuang Research Academy to explore how to model the deep semantics of cultural heritage images as an example, in order to reveal the themes and cultural knowledge embedded in historic images. We fused Pannovsky’s theory of iconography in the field of iconology and the theory of subject indexing in the field of information organisation to construct an integrated model of deep semantic annotation of images. Based on this, we developed the subject headings and a series of visual annotation tools for Dunhuang mural images to control the normality of the tagged words and implement deep semantic annotation of the images. On this basis, we also explored the theory of cultural heritage data enhancement and the construction plan of cultural heritage smart data.
4. And a DH project you like?
Currently, we are working on the Yangtze River Civilisation Platform project based on the Intelligent Computing Laboratory for Cultural Heritage (Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory of the Ministry of Education). We will develop a digital platform to support the archaeological and historical research of the pre-Qin and Qin-Han eras. Using 3D modelling technology, GIS technology, and AI, we have already constructed an online historical map compilation system, as well as an intelligent conjugation system for bamboo slips and an online geographic information platform for pre-Qin and Qin tombs. We have also built a digital deduction theatre for cultural heritage, which is used for digital intelligence experiments and displaying our scientific research outcomes. We hope to use these tools and platforms to integrate the historical data related to Chu culture, and in this way change the research paradigm on Chu culture and the Yangtze River civilisation, provide a novel type of research infrastructure for digital humanities research, and promote the research, teaching, and global dissemination of Chu culture.
The Center for Digital Humanities at Wuhan University was established in 2011, making it the first digital humanities research centre in mainland China and one of the five founding members of the centerNet Asia-Pacific Alliance. In 2021, the Intelligent Computing Laboratory for Cultural Heritage (ICLCH) at Wuhan University was approved by China’s Ministry of Education among the first batch of Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Sciences, and it was the only one approved in the field of cultural heritage. The ICLCH dates to 2011 with the establishment of Centre for Digital Humanities at Wuhan University, which was incorporated into the Big Data Research Institute at Wuhan University in 2018. After 10 years development, the ICLCH has grown into a large-scale discipline-crossing research institution integrating culture-related disciplines such as information management, history, ancient literature, and intelligent computing technology disciplines such as surveying and mapping, computer science, and artificial intelligence. The ICLCH is dedicated to organising cutting-edge research on the digital and intelligent activation and utilisation of cultural heritage.
Adhering to a research philosophy that emphasizes the fusion of humanities and sciences, data-driven empowerment, collaborative contributions, and innovation through experimentation, the ICLCH consolidates the expertise of “Information Resource Management” and “Surveying and Mapping Science and Technology” – two of Wuhan University’s distinguished disciplines, along with other traditional fields. The ICLCH is structured into five specialized research divisions: intelligent data processing for cultural heritage, advanced organization and reconstruction of ancient texts, computational imaging and analysis of cultural artifacts, virtual representation of expansive archaeological sites, and GIS applications in cultural heritage. With a foundation in cutting-edge technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality, and grounded in digital humanities theories, the lab is dedicated to addressing challenges in cultural heritage, such as its insufficient protection, ambiguous interpretations, and untapped value. The ICLCH not only broadens the horizons of digital humanities but also bolsters original innovation in humanities and social sciences. Furthermore, it paves a viable route and offers a comprehensive model for the inventive evolution and growth of China’s rich traditional culture.
Senior Professor in humanities and social sciences at Wuhan University. He has held roles such as Dean of the School of Information Management and Director of the Information Resources Research Centre. His research is about Information science and management theory, big data analysis, knowledge organisation and networks, digital information resource management and digital economy, information behaviour, and informetrics.
Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Information Management and Executive Vice Dean of the Big Data Institute, Director of the Intellectual Computing Laboratory for Cultural Heritage, and Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities at Wuhan University. His research interests are digital asset management, knowledge organisation, semantic publishing, and digital humanities.
He served as the vice dean of the Big Data Institute at Wuhan University, vice-chair of the Database Professional Committee of the China Computer Federation, and member of the Big Data Expert Committee of the China Computer Federation.
Key Projects
Projects and achievements in the Center for Digital Humanities fall into four categories: Research Projects, involving digital restoration and geographical data integration of ancient Chinese sites; Platform Tools, focusing on the development of digital platforms for manuscript organization, image data integration, and AI-based knowledge graph construction; Data Resources, which includes the accumulation of extensive cultural heritage data, such as digital images, texts, historical maps, and 3D models; Digital Interpretation Theatre, an interdisciplinary space utilizing advanced technology for immersive cultural heritage experiences and research.
Research Projects
Research on Resources Development and Service of Cultural Heritage Smart Data
Research, Development and Application of Intelligent Exhibition Technology of National Archives of Publications and Culture Collection Digital Resources
Research on Construction of Digital Twin Data System and Data Mining Technology
Research on Digital Memory Reconstruction Project of Ancient Books
Research on Multimodal Knowledge Graph Construction of Dunhuang Mogao Caves
Platforms and Tools
Comprehensive Digital Platform of Bamboo and Silk Manuscripts
Cultural Heritage Image Data Integration Platform
Cultural Heritage Knowledge Graph Production Platform
Dunhuang Mural Thesaurus
Model Painter
Graphic Correlation Annotation System
Data Resources
The ICLCH accumulated various cultural heritage data, including digital images, ancient texts, historical maps, 3D relic models, and domain knowledge graphs. For example, Foundational Databases includes over 4,700 subject terms from Dunhuang murals and around 1.25 million RDF triples in the Chinese Poetry Knowledge Graph. And the Image Databases Contains 25,000 high-resolution images of murals from Mogao and Yulin Caves, movable relics, and over 200,000 images of Chinese cultural artifacts from overseas museums.
Digital Interpretation Theatre
The Digital Deduction Theatre for Cultural Heritage is an innovative, interdisciplinary cutting-edge experimental space designed and built by the ICLCH at Wuhan University. It also stands as the foundational methodology for the digital revitalisation of cultural heritage. With advanced imaging modelling, large-screen data interaction, three-dimensional immersive projection, and XR virtual storytelling technologies, this theatre integrates methodologies from humanities, information management, literary arts, and artificial intelligence. Its ambition is to establish a holistic innovation chain comprised of “Digital Incubation – Fusion of Virtual and Reality – Collaborative Deduction – Immersive Experience – Intelligent Services.” This initiative is dedicated to digitally documenting. deconstructing. artistically expressing. and intelligently interacting with China’s outstanding traditional culture, supporting the research, teaching, and dissemination of the revitalization of cultural heritage.
Teaching
The ICLCH offers a variety of teaching activities that blend traditional humanities scholarship with digital technologies, especially for PhD students. These activities include hosting forums, seminars, and workshops, such as the Global Forum for Chinese Doctoral Students in Digital Humanities and the Yuehu Frontier Forum on Digital Intelligence for Liberal Arts. The ICLCH also organizes specialised academic seminars, providing platforms for interdisciplinary research, design innovation, and the exploration of new methodologies in digital humanities.
Welcome to the Digital Transformation project of the UK-China Humanities Alliance for Higher Education (UKCHA)! We are a partnership of universities in the UK and China working together to develop joint research projects and further connections in the humanities. UKCHA was founded in 2016 on the initiative of Tsinghua University and is currently led jointly by Tsinghua and the University of Exeter.
This website, hosted by the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College, is supported by the British Council grant (re)Connecting Research in China, meant to re-establish connections and create new links and areas of collaboration between UK and Chinese institutions in the post-pandemic period. The Department of Digital Humanities is leading the Digital Transformations strand of the grant, and this website is part of it – a place dedicated to exploring and mapping existing programmes in Digital Humanities in British and Chinese Universities, to showcase research, teaching, methods, and initiatives in this area.
该网站由国王学院数字人文系主办，并得到英国文化协会 资助 (re)Connecting Research in China 的支持，旨在重新建立联系并创造新的联系 大流行后时期英国和中国机构之间的联系和合作领域。 数字人文系正在领导该拨款的数字化转型部分，该网站是其中的一部分 – 一个致力于探索和绘制英国和中国大学数字人文现有项目的地方，以展示研究、教学、方法和举措 在这个区域。
