Dr. CAI, Shengdan 蔡胜丹

Assistant Professor


Contact

Office: Room LC838, Library Complex, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, 12 Wai Tsui Crescent, North Point, Hong Kong
Phone: 2806-5175
Email: scai@hksyu.edu


Academic and Professional Qualification

Ph.D.        University of Nottingham
M.Phil.     University of Cambridge
BA.           University of Nottingham


Specialism and Research Interests

Digital Heritage
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Memory Studies
Museum Studies


Courses

SOC261      Conceptualising Arts and Culture in Modernity
SOC346      Science, Digital Technology and Society
SCT502      Smart Technologies in Cultural Tourism


Selected Publications

Cai, S., & Ch’ng, E. (2026). From Memory to Model: Engaging Communities in the Virtual Reconstruction of their Heritage. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 16(2), 277-299. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-04-2025-0086

Cai, S., Ch’ng, E., & Xie, J. (2025) Enlivening the Past: Evoking Human Presence with ‘Living Traces’ in Virtual Reconstructions. The 20th ACM SIGGRAPH International Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and its Applications in Industry (VRCAI ’25), December 13–14, 2025, Macau, China. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 8 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3779232.3779473

Ch’ng, E., Cai, S., Feng, P., & Cheng, D. (2023). Social Augmented Reality: Communicating via Cultural Heritage. Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 16(2), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1145/3582266

Chan, S. C., & Cai, S. (2023). Preserving and Exhibiting Intangible Cultural Heritage via Virtual Museum: A Case Study of the Hungry Ghosts Festival in Hong Kong. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, XLVIII-M-2–2023, 405–411. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-2-2023-405-2023

Ch’ng, E., Feng, P., Yao, H., Zeng, Z., Cheng, D., Cai, S. (2021) ‘Balancing Performance and Effort in Deep Learning via the Fusion of Real and Synthetic Cultural Heritage Photogrammetry Training Sets’, in Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence. Special Session on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Heritage: Challenges and Opportunities, Vienna, Austria: SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, pp. 611–621.

Ch’ng, E., Li, Y., Cai, S., Leow, F.T. (2020) ‘The Effects of VR Environments on the Acceptance, Experience, and Expectations of Cultural Heritage Learning’, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 13(1), pp. 1–21. doi: 10.1145/3352933.

Ch’ng, E., Cai, S., Leow, F.T., Zhang, T. (2019) ‘Adoption and use of emerging cultural technologies in China’s museums’, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 37, pp. 170–180. doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.016.

Ch’ng, E., Cai, S., Zhang, E., Leow, F.T. (2019) ‘Crowdsourcing 3D cultural heritage: best practice for mass photogrammetry’, Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 9(1), pp. 24–42. doi: 10.1108/JCHMSD-03-2018-0018.

Cai, S., Ch’ng, E. and Li, Y. (2018) ‘A Comparison of the Capacities of VR and 360-Degree Video for Coordinating Memory in the Experience of Cultural Heritage’, in 2018 3rd Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHERITAGE) held jointly with 2018 24th International Conference on Virtual Systems & Multimedia (VSMM 2018). IEEE, pp. 1–4. doi: 10.1109/DigitalHeritage.2018.8810127.


Research Projects

  • Co-Leader of the Entrepreneurship Team, “Establishment of Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship (KTE) Centre for Humanities, Arts and Social Science Disciplines”(2027.1 – 2028.12). Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS), Education Bureau, HKSAR Government. HK$2,315,800. Ongoing
  • Co-Investigator, “Playing with the Past: The Heritage Management Board Game as a Mediating Site for Critical and Innovative Heritage Learning” (2026.9-2028.8). University Research Grants, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. HK$39,120. Ongoing
  • Principal Investigator, “Remembering through Scanning: Exploring the Affordances for Spatial Memory Practices in Mobile 3D Scanning” (2026.1-2027.12). Faculty Development Scheme, Hong Kong Research Grants Council. HK$923,317. Ongoing
  • Principal Investigator, “Meme-driven Cultural Tourism: A Case Study of the ‘Speechless Buddha’ Internet Celebrity Artefact in Jingdezhen” (2025.11-2027.10). University Research Grants, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. HK$39,960. Ongoing
  • Project Member, “Shue Yan University History Museum Research and Planning Project” (2025-2026). Research Matching Grant, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. HK$400,000. Ongoing
  • Principal Investigator, “Mapping the Adoption and Use of Digital Technologies in Hong Kong's Museums” (2024-2025). Research Internship Scheme, Hong Kong Shue Yan University. HK$14,960. Ongoing
  • Co-Investigator, “Metaversing Intangible Cultural Heritage: Documenting, Transmitting and Promoting the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival in Hong Kong” (2024.11-2026.10). The Funding Scheme for Community-Driven Projects, Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, HKSAR Government. HK$956,000. Ongoing
  • Management Board Member, “Shaping the Connected Museum II” (2020-2023). Arts and Humanities Research Council UK-China Creative Industry Grant. £499,329. Completed
  • Co-Investigator, “A Comparison of the Influence of Different Media in Coordinating Memory and Identity” (2018-2019). Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham China, Small Research Grant. RMB¥40,000. Completed
  • Core Member, “Cultural Heritage and Cross-Border Digital Communication in the Terrestrial and Maritime Silk Road” (2017-2020). Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau Belt & Road Grant. RMB¥300,000. Completed
  • Research Fellow, “Digital Technology Enhanced Cultural Heritage in the Development of the Knowledge Economy” (2017). AHRC Centre for Digital Copyright and IP Research in China and Ningbo Science & Technology Bureau. RMB¥425,000. Completed
 

Community Service

2020 onwards
Advisor, Starry Night Chinese Multicultural Organisation