Interactive book brings Prince Kung's Palace to life

A new interactive bilingual book offers readers an immersive way to explore the culture and history of Beijing's Prince Kung's Palace, using the traditional Chinese concept of fu, or good fortune, as its central theme.

The book, The Blessed Prince Kung's Palace, was jointly compiled by Prince Kung's Palace Museum under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Beijing Prince Kung's Palace Tourism Consulting and Service Co.

Described by its creators as the first panoramic cultural picture book in China dedicated to the "Garden of Ten Thousand Fu" at Prince Kung's Palace, the publication combines detailed, hand-drawn illustrations, bilingual text and interactive technologies to explore the palace complex from the perspectives of architecture, people, seasonal customs, plants, and animals.

Prince Kung's Palace is renowned as the "Garden of Ten Thousand Fu", with the Kangxi Emperor's calligraphic inscription of the character fu — often known as the "Number One Fu" — among its best-known cultural treasures. Bat motifs, which symbolize good fortune because "fu" and "bat" (fu in Chinese) are homophones, can also be found throughout the palace's windows, painted decorations and brick carvings.

The new book uses these elements as an entry point into broader traditions surrounding fu and Chinese philosophies of an auspicious and fulfilling life.

Its content is organized around four themes. Architectural fortune explores the symbolism, craftsmanship and rituals embedded in the palace's buildings. Human fortune re-creates scenes of gatherings, theater performances and banquets. Seasonal fortune depicts traditional celebrations and customs associated with festivals such as the Lantern Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Living fortune focuses on the plants and animals found in the palace gardens and the relationship between people and nature.

The publication also seeks to move beyond conventional picture-book reading.

Readers can scan selected pages to activate augmented reality scenes, including lantern displays, flowing water and other auspicious settings associated with the palace. Dedicated tactile areas offer interactive experiences related to the palace's "Number One Fu" inscription and other architectural details.

The book also incorporates AI-generated content and virtual reality. By scanning the "Number One Fu" at the end of the book, readers can generate a personalized version of the character to save, share, or send to others. A companion VR map allows readers to explore a virtual Prince Kung's Palace and search for auspicious symbols throughout the complex.

Academic advisers and museum specialists provided research support to ensure the accuracy of the book's historical and cultural content.

For Prince Kung's Palace Museum, the publication is also part of a broader effort to explore new ways of interpreting its collections and cultural resources and to bring traditional Chinese culture into contemporary forms of cultural consumption.