1. Start with a real question
A topic is defined as a reader problem, not merely a keyword or a decorative title. The article must know what a reader is trying to recognise, compare or avoid misunderstanding.
2. Build a source record
Priority goes to museum collection records, digitised historical texts, archival material, scholarly books and peer-reviewed research. Commercial scans and unattributed online images may point toward a source, but they are not treated as evidence on their own.
3. Keep claims within their boundaries
We record which period, region, medium and object a source actually supports. A Qing court robe does not automatically explain every folk object, and a wordplay found in one documented design is not turned into a universal formula.
4. Write and review in Chinese first
The factual argument is drafted and reviewed in Chinese before English publication. This makes it easier to catch awkward logic, vague cultural shorthand and claims that sound plausible only after translation.
5. Edit the English as English
The English version is checked for translation residue, unnatural headings, repeated templates, pinyin, Chinese characters, object information and cultural scope. It should work for an English reader without flattening the source culture.
6. Treat images as evidence or explanation
Every image has a declared role. Museum objects retain source and rights information. Editorial redrawings are identified as redrawings and are not presented as historical originals. Decorative images should not invent symbolic relationships.
Corrections and updates
Articles carry a reviewed or updated date. Substantive corrections should change the article and, where useful, its source record. Readers can use the contact page to report a factual, translation or attribution problem.