The “Three Days of Darkness” Experience Project

Project Introduction

Experiencing Darkness: An Educational Project for Understanding Life through the Eyes of the Sighted

Xiaojie Zheng has been making efforts to deeply understand and comprehend the issues existing within the blind community. To do so, she decided to experience it firsthand. Countless times, she blinded herself to dine in a restaurant. When deprived of vision, she instinctively doubted everything around her, a fear she had never experienced when she had her sight. To help more sighted people understand the challenges faced by the blind, Xiaojie Zheng initiated the “Three Days of Darkness” project. This process typically lasts for about 2 hours. Participants are required to continuously wear and remove blindfolds, disrupting the conventional thinking of the sighted individuals. This project received the Gold Award from the Beijing Municipal Government and led Xiaojie Zheng to establish connections with Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. It encouraged her to explore alternative methods of charity work.

On May 13, 2005, the inaugural event of the “Empathy and Experience for the Sighted” project, titled “Three Days of Darkness,” took place at Beijing Yuxin School. This charitable initiative was organized by HongDanDan to promote accurate understanding of the blind community among sighted individuals and foster mutual communication and assistance for the visually impaired. As of 2020, approximately 200 sessions of this event have been successfully held, involving around 10,000 participants.