Dr Elaine Wing Tung Chung

(she/her)

Publication

• Date
• Type
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Research

My research broadly focuses on East Asian popular culture—from films and television to user-generated content on social media—with particular attention to identity formation and transnational politics. My current research projects are organised around three interconnected themes:

Stardom and Celebrityhood
My primary research interest lies in stars and celebrities in East Asia, with a focus on their sociopolitical meanings. I am currently completing a book on South Korean stars on Chinese screens. It traces the trend of casting South Korean stars as leading characters in Chinese films and television series between 2000 and 2016, examining how these stars represent and negotiate discourses of Koreanness in China. Related to this, I have published an article in Celebrity Studies on Korean actress Choo Ja-hyun, analysing how transnational stardom intersects with nationalism in the Chinese media industry. I also explore the relationship between gender and celebrity, including an upcoming co-edited special issue on female transgression in East Asian screen cultures, which features my article on South Korean comedienne Park Na-rae. Additionally, I am interested in participatory culture and its role in co-constructing stardom. My article in Archiv Orientální examines Stephen Chow’s fandom in South Korea, focusing on fan practices that re-create memories of 1990s Hong Kong cinema. I am also co-editing a special issue for Celebrity Studies on non-human celebrities in digital East Asia.

Culture and Soft Power
My second strand of research investigates the role of non-state actors—including stars and celebrities—in the production and contestation of cultural soft power in East Asia. My forthcoming book chapter examines Korean actor Kim Eui-sung’s vocal support for the 2019 Hong Kong protests, exploring how celebrity activism can function both as a conduit for soft power and as a site of tension with state-led strategies. Building on my teaching experience in Chinese Studies programmes, I am also developing a new project on Mandarin education and Taiwanese soft power, analysing how Taiwan’s promotion of Taiwanese Mandarin as a diplomatic tool is received by UK students.

Migration and Cultural Identity
I am also interested in the cultural practices and identity formations of migrant communities. My ongoing research focuses on recent Hong Kong migrants in Wales, examining their language ideologies and experiences of learning Welsh as a way of negotiating belonging, community, and transnational identity.

Teaching

I currently convene and deliver the following double-semester modules 

• ML1192 China in Context
• ML1259 Cultures in Context (Chinese)
• ML1372 Sinophone Cultures: Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese Diasporas

and supervise BA Modern Chinese, BA Chinese, and MA Global Cultures dissertations 

I have also contributed to the teaching of the following modules:

• MLT832 Research Methods and Practice (Postgraduate) 
• ML1130 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics  
• ML1194 Chinese Cinema 
• ML1257 Chinese Society & Culture 
• ML8100 Introduction to Translation Methods
• ML2201 Introduction to Specialised Translation 

Biography

I hold a PhD from SOAS University of London, an MA from Korea University, and a BA from the University of Hong Kong.

In the School of Modern Languages, I am co-ordinating the Visiting Scholars Programme and leading the research theme Transnational Cultural and Visual Studies. I previosuly served as the Year Abroad Officer, responsible for establishing international partnerships for the Chinese programme and coordinating undergradaute students’ exchange studies in mainland China and Taiwan. 

Honours and awards

• Grants from The Academy of Korean Studies and The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation for organising the conference Transgressive Women in East Asian Screen Media (May 2024, Cardiff University) 

Professional memberships

• British Association of Chinese Studies
• European Association of Taiwan Studies
• Hong Kong Studies Association
• Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Committees and reviewing

• Research Ethics Committee, School of Modern Languages, 2022-present 

Supervisions

I welcome doctoral application in these subject areas: 

• Popular culture in East Asia
• Stardom, fandom, celebrity culture
• Cultural politics and soft power
• (Social) media and identity

PhD projects I currently supervise: 

• Translating Queer Culture: A Global Perspective on Representation and Identity
• Postfeminism and Chinese ‘big heroine’ television dramas (funded by Chinese Scholarship Council) 
• British National (Overseas) Hongkongers, their conflicts with existing Chinese communities and the implications for identity politics in the UK (funded by ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership) 
• Chronotopes, signs and changes: An ethnographic linguistic landscape study of peri-urban China (funded by Chinese Scholarship Council) 
• Projecting China’s idea of China: An analysis of international co-production documentaries as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, 1980-present

Current supervision

Chen Yang

Shanshan Xie

Aaron Pelcomb

Yi Han Xu

Ka Long Tung