Chilli City is a cross-disciplinary game-based project that investigates the transformation of chili peppers from decorative plants to everyday staples in Chinese cuisine. Through an interactive narrative lens, the project traces the journey of chilies across different social strata, offering a unique perspective on China’s sweeping social and cultural shifts over the past thirty years-an era shaped by rapid urbanization, industrial expansion, and globalization. Rooted in cultural anthropology, sociology, and historical research, Chilli City reconstructs the evolving relationship between food, geography, and identity. By examining how dietary habits reflect broader patterns of social mobility and cultural adaptation, the project contributes to a deeper understanding of food as both a marker and driver of social change, with relevance that extends beyond national borders.


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