Difu: The Ledger of Life & Death is an original thematic environment design project inspired by Chinese folklore and afterlife mythology. Reimagined as an immersive dark ride, it follows a journey through a surreal underworld where visitors pass through ritual spaces, encounter Fengdu city and Yanwang, and ultimately search for the mystical Ledger that holds the names of the dead.

Through this project, I wanted to share some of the unique charm of Chinese funeral and ritual culture with audiences who may be less familiar with it, especially the way it embraces death not only with solemnity, but also with symbolism, spectacle, and even a sense of excitement. During the process, I researched a wide range of Chinese folk traditions, with particular focus on funeral customs from the Minnan region along the south-eastern coast, while also drawing from practices and imagery found in other parts of China. Folk beliefs around the afterlife: how people imagine the world beyond death, how the living remain connected to it, and how grief, remembrance, and devotion are expressed through ritual, became a constant source of inspiration throughout the project.

Alongside the cultural research, this project was also a chance for me to experiment with new tools and workflows. I especially enjoyed using Unreal Engine to test lighting and atmosphere, which was both great fun and incredibly helpful in shaping the spatial mood of the ride. Moreover, one of the parts I enjoyed most was developing the storyboard, as it allowed me to think more deeply through drawing about how visitors would actually experience the space, while also helping me identify and resolve visual, spatial, and narrative problems within the journey.