1. Project Overview

Chinatown ARcade is New York’s first outdoor AR scavenger hunt — a gamified cultural adventure powered by AR and AI technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4b29Vg6IP8

Players explore Manhattan's Chinatown through immersive storytelling and gesture-based interactions, uncovering hidden symbols, stories, and history as they walk through real streets and landmarks. They can play solo or with friends—choosing one of three characters (Gangster, Police Officer, or Restaurant Owner) and racing to collect hidden elements tied to their role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DOdAHGXc-0&t=5s

Our mission is to use new technology to tell the old stories of Chinatown — attracting younger generations and demonstrating that when used with care, technology can do more than entertain. It can connect people, bridge generations, and amplify culture.

2. Our Team

• Team Lead: Zihao Zhang (Founder of WanderLens Lab, Columbia Alumni, Conference Lead of HarvardXR 2025)
• Marketing Lead: Annie Hu (Founder of Edgycated, Fordham Business School + Mizzou J-School Alumni, Ex-McCann Worldgroup & L'Oréal)
• 3D Designer: Zeyu Wang (Alumni of ArtCenter College of Design, Ex-Interaction Designer of BMW Group)
• Developer: Hongming Li (Adjunct professor of ArtCenter College of Design, Ex-Developer of BMW Group)
• Narrative Designer: Fei Deng (Columbia Alumni, PhD candidate of University of HongKong, Ex-Researcher of Harvard Chinese Art Media Lab)

3. Achievements & Milestones

• 🤝 Officially collaborated with Snap

  

• 🏆 Winner of Snap AR Community Challenge

  

• 📰 Media coverage and strong community visibility:

  

  新技術講老故事 AR為華埠注活力 帶遊客探索百年幫派傳奇 | 世界新聞網

• 👓 Guest lecture and demo at Columbia University, School of Visual Arts, and Lehman College/XR Guild

  

  Lehman College/XR Guild

  

  Lehman College/XR Guild

  

  Columbia University