Ghost Talk - A Creative Consideration of Zhiguai Ghost Narratives to Discuss Chinese Parental Expectations.

Abstract

Ghost Talk is an illustrated picture book inspired by my personal experiences of disquiet with Chinese parental expectations. Adopting the narrative style of ghost stories from Chinese Zhiguai literature, the narrative uses metaphorical telling to depict the journey of a Chinese girl and ghosts, that revolves around her realisation of self-worth. The story considers how Confucian perspectives of filial piety and emphasis on education may influence Chinese parents to have high expectations and strict control over their children's academic achievement. This project explores the potential of the Zhiguai ghost to create a social critique through self-experience. Methodologically, the project utilises autoethnography and heuristic enquiry to assess personal experience through a series of methods of scriptwriting, sketching, storyboarding, character development and prototyping.