Master's Dissertation
This is my master's dissertation. From 2022 to 2025, I participated in the ecological garden project in Chongqing’s Xingjiaqiao Community as a volunteer, artist, and teacher, witnessing its entire process from initial planning, design, construction, to later maintenance. I analyzed the project’s effectiveness from three perspectives—spatial changes, residents’ attitudes, and community self-governance relationships—and used Actor-Network Theory to organize the project’s organizational relationships across its early, middle, and later stages, thereby summarizing appropriate methods for community elderly aesthetic education practices.
Research on the Path of Community Elderly Aesthetic Education Based on Actor-Network Theory: A Case Study of the Ecological Garden Practice in Chongqing’s Najiaqiao Community
Abstract
This case study revolves around the Xingjiaqiao Community Ecological Garden Project, employing participatory observation and semi-structured interviews to systematically collect data during the project implementation process. Through thematic analysis, this dissertion explores the organizational model and effectiveness of the project, aiming to summarize feasible practical strategies to promote aesthetic education amongst community elderly. The research questions focus on: how can effective, collaborative networks be established for community elderly aesthetic education? What role do they play in enhancing elderly’ aesthetic cognition and emotional connection?
The findings reveal that the ecological garden project, by establishing a multi-actor collaborative network, effectively stimulates elderly participation, enhances their aesthetic experiences and emotional bonds, and fosters community cohesion and sustainable development. Key success factors include multi-party collaboration, the creation of a supportive spatial environment, and the cultivation of cultural identity. This study contributes to the empirical data on community elderly aesthetic education and provides insights for innovative community governance through artistic participation.
