A-BAO SUMMER CREATIVE LAB 2026
A-bao Summer Creative Lab 2026
An 8-Week Interdisciplinary Student Co-Creation Program
8
Weeks
Of creative exploration and co-creation.
7
Students
From different cities and academic backgrounds.
∞
Possibilities
Across disciplines, media, and experiences.
1
A-bao Universe
A shared world connecting different disciplines.
- THE PROGRAM
Eight Weeks. One A-bao Universe.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
More Than a Traditional Internship
What can happen when young people from different disciplines are invited not just to study a story, but to imagine what that story could become?
The results went far beyond the original book.
Eight Weeks of Co-Creation
Each week focused on a different chapter or theme from the A-bao story. Students read, interpreted, discussed, imagined, developed, and presented ideas for feedback.
Read
Students read and interpreted the assigned chapter or theme.
Interpret
Students explored the message and emotional meaning within the story.
Discuss
Ideas, perspectives, and potential audiences were discussed together.
Imagine
Students imagined how the story could exist in other media.
Explore
Students explored possibilities beyond the boundaries of their own majors.
Create
Concepts were developed individually and collaboratively.
Connect
Different disciplines connected through A-bao as a common language.
Present
Students presented their ideas and received feedback.
Four Directions. One Creative Universe.
A-bao became the common language connecting different disciplines and opening possibilities beyond the page.
Short-Form Video
Students explored how A-bao's stories could become highly visual short-form content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Xiaohongshu.
Moving into implementationA-bao WeChat / Long-Form Storytelling
Students identified opportunities for longer-form digital storytelling, allowing stories, reflections, travel experiences, illustrations, and ideas to live beyond short social posts.
A-bao App
Students explored a future A-bao digital experience where storytelling, learning, interaction, characters, and community could come together.
A-bao Cultural & Travel Experiences
Students explored connecting A-bao with real cities, museums, landmarks, communities, and everyday American life.
A-bao Travels AmericaIdeas Are Becoming Reality.
Short-Form Video
Being incorporated into A-bao's social media development.
Travel Concept
Developing into real-world storytelling.
Digital Products & App Ideas
Preserved for future development.
A-bao does not have to remain a character inside a book.
A-bao can become a platform for storytelling, creativity, learning, travel, and collaboration.Ideas in the Making
A space to showcase the creative work developed during the A-bao Summer Creative Lab.
Photos
Program and student photos
Sketches
Creative sketches and concepts
Presentations
Selected student presentations
Designs
Visual and graphic work
Screenshots
Digital concepts and experiments
Prototypes
Selected creative prototypes
From Student Participant to Creative Contributor
Yajie Xiong
At the conclusion of the eight-week program, the formal summer internship ended successfully. One participant, Yajie Xiong, continued with the A-bao project in a creative capacity.
Her continued work focuses on visual design, graphic content, and short-form video production.
Her continued involvement reflects one of the ideas behind the Creative Lab itself: a student project can become more than a temporary internship when genuine interests, skills, and opportunities intersect.
What do you see?
A-bao Summer Creative Lab was not designed simply to tell students what to create. It gave them a story and asked a question.
Seven students saw different possibilities. Together, they helped reveal possibilities within A-bao Universe that no single discipline could have discovered alone.
Read.
Imagine.
Create.
Build.
Belong.
2026 → 2027 → 2028 → ...
The A-bao Creative Lab is designed to grow with future annual cohorts, beginning with the seven students of Summer 2026 as the inaugural cohort.