The Gateway of Time: 75-year transformation of Chinese homes

A home is much more than four walls and a roof. It is the place where our personal stories unfold. It mirrors who we are, what we value and the journey we've taken through life. At the same time, it is a reflection of the times we live in. With this in mind, CGTN invites you to step into The Gateway of Time and celebrate the 75th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) with an immersive visit of conceptual homes that capture the essence of Chinese living across the decades.

The Gateway of Time is an interactive AR+AI experience that creatively uses the concept of time travel to transport you to homes set in three distinct periods of the PRC: the early years after the founding, the period after reform and opening up, and the modern day. Inspired by actual houses, these virtual homes symbolically portray the general conditions of the time and space they are set in.

Lead by the voice of a guide, you can explore these homes and learn about some macroeconomic indicators of the times, all with a touch of a personal story of a man named Jianguo, which we'll leave you to unfurl.

As you enter the portal, the first of the three homes you see is a northern Chinese village house from 1955. The room is equipped with a traditional heated platform called Kang along with a set of farming tools which suggest this home belongs to a farmer. There are also some toys laying around along with the utensils they used back then.

The year 1955 in China was a time when most of the people lived in rural areas and the urbanization rate was really low. Most of the people worked in the primary industry and the GDP per capita was 150 yuan that year, but the disposable income of rural residents was less than half that figure.

The second home is an apartment set in a bustling Chinese metropolis in 1999, about two decades after the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy in the country. The modest apartment is portrayed to be the home of a young factory worker and his wife, who is a primary school teacher. The man's parents have a background in farming, but they now spend most of their time here with their son and daughter-in-law.

This was a time in China when urban households saw significant improvements in living standards as homes became more spacious and equipped with modern amenities like refrigerators, washing machines and televisions. The cities grew rapidly, with the urbanization ratio nearing 35 percent and the urban employees earning a little over 8,300 yuan a year in wages.

The last of the three homes is a reflection of a modern urban Chinese home today. Brimming with the latest tech gadgets, this smart home is portrayed to be the residence of a young software engineer who lives here with her parents and grandparents. It is a time of prosperity for this family as the young engineer is advancing rapidly in her career while her father runs his own trading business and grandparents spend their days feeling proud of their accomplishments.

Just like the engineer, about half of the country's labor force works in the tertiary industry today, while the per capita disposable income of urban residents neared 52,000 yuan last year. For China, this era of prosperity and technological advancement is also an era of heightened social responsibility and environmental awareness, which is reflected in the green lifestyle of today.

Entering The Gateway of Time, each home you see reveals more than just how people lived — it shows how the hopes, dreams and lifestyles of Chinese families have evolved. It is not just an exploration of physical spaces, but an intimate encounter with the pulse of the Chinese society — all through the lens of the most telling space of all: the home. So, pick up your phone now, hit this link, and embark on a historical journey!