Hong Kong-based veteran newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP) is creating a series of NFTs using a new token standard called “ARTIFACT,” which is designed to preserve historical assets on the blockchain.

In its ARTIFACT litepaper, SCMP provides an overview of the project, a standardized metadata structure that can be used to ensure that key moments are captured from an archive of 118 media objects. The five years of SCMP can be preserved through distributed ownership and dissemination.

Gary Liu, CEO of SCMP, said that “Blockchain has great potential for preserving witnesses immutable journalism and interpreting history. The ‘ARTIFACT’ project is an opportunity to discover, collect, exhibit, exchange and regain meaningful moments and objects from our shared human experience. “

SCMP’s NFTs are largely inspired by the newspaper’s archive for documentary photography, visual illustration, data visualization, and infographics. Represents the “first manuscripts in history,” including texts, photographs, cartoons and illustrations, collected over a century by SCMP.

While the token standard will be blockchain-agnostic in the long term, SCMP has selected several blockchains to start its project and open up its possibilities. To restore history and appeal to a wide audience, it has partnered with Ethereum-based supermarket The Sandbox, a subsidiary of blockchain startup Animoca Brands.

Working with local game studios and digital artists, The Sandbox will create a range of voxel-based interactive 3D games and cultural experiences based on historical landmarks and artifacts as well as modern ones in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Landmarks like Kowloon Walled City and Star Ferry will be integrated into the blockchain-based metaverse. Liu pointed out that, for example, gamers could virtually experience the scenes of Hong Kong in the 1950s and learn the intricacies of its history through SCMP coverage of the time.

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Sandbox announced that on July 22nd, players will be able to purchase properties alongside the SCMP project as metaverse native LAND tokens. Speaking of the partnership, Liu told the SCMP today, “Our hope is that, over time, we will create diverse environments for people to experience Hong Kong history, Chinese history, and Hong Kong history.” Part of the world. “

In The Sandbox metaverse, LAND tokens from multiple partners or users of The Sandbox can be pooled and pooled into virtual real estate. For example, game developer Atari used this scarce digital space to host voxelized 3D versions of its classic games.

Individual players can also purchase LANDs themselves and use them as places to create and publish their own indie game content.

To date, The Sandbox has over 40 million worldwide installations on mobile devices and brought in over 1,300 ethers (ETH) with the first and second LAND presales. Metaverse is slated to be released on Alpha this summer.