Dr Xuan Wang

PhD, MA, PGCE, BA, SFHEA

Publication

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Research

I am a member of the School's Global Language-Based Area Studies research group. As a sociolinguist, a language educator, and an interdisciplinary thinker with a broad interest in language, culture and society, I am keen to explore how language shapes and, in turn, is shaped by communication across boundaries, and in multilingual and transnational spaces where culture, identity and learning are at stake online and offline. My research takes an ethnographic orientation to language, intercultural communication and social changes in a variety of domains and contexts, such as classrooms, public spaces, economic practices of advertisement and tourism, as well as identity politics in popular cultures on social media. 

I have sustained output of high-quality research with a distinctive contribution to critical language studies, focusing on Chinese in transnational environments of communication and learning. My co-edited book Unpacking discourses on Chineseness: The Cultural Politics of Language and Identity in Globalizing China (2021) uncovers the power dynamics and ideologies underlying varied constructs of Chineseness in China and the Chinese diaspora using critical sociolinguistic and discourse analytical approaches. I have written extensively addressing diverse language issues arising from globalization in China and of Chinese, ranging from linguistic landscapes, cultural heritage, digital activism, popular music and influencer culture. 

My research also paves the new path for the formal and informal learning of Chinese influenced by shifting sociopolitical, technological and educational conditions as an important part of applied linguistic studies. My most recent publications feature two co-edited volumes dedicated to the current debates on theories and practices in Chinese as a modern language in higher education in the post-COVID fast changing digital era. I have published a series of journal articles in this regard, examining how digital tools and modes of communication may be understood and pedagogically utilised for language learning and teaching on the one hand, and, on the other hand, how they promote specific language ideologies and cultural identities as well as patterns of informal learning of language beyond the traditional classroom.  

My research output has been recognised nationally and internationally. I am ranked among the 100 most-cited authors of Semiotica by De Gruyter, the official journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies. My work has also been acknowledged beyond academia. My co-authored article on Chinese hip-hop was translated into Italian by a cultural magazine in 2020. Because of my growing international expertise, I have been approached by international media for views and interviews. 

I am currently taking my research into the emerging field of digital humanities by exploring state-of-the-art language use involving digital technology and social media culture. Alongside this, my work will continue to explore such inquiries in relation to digital learning and research in applied linguistics and educational linguistics.

Teaching

I am a named Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. As the Programme Director of Chinese (2017-2023), I have led the setting up and development of the Chinese degree curricula for both Modern Chinese (BA), Cardiff's strategic dual degree co-delivered with Beijing Normal University, and Modern Languages (Chinese). I was responsible for all aspects of the programme: benchmarking the learning aims and outcomes, designing the progression pathways and module structures, developing the teaching team and pedagogical materials, delivering the team teaching, devising assessments, providing pastoral support home and abroad, monitoring student feedback and revision, and overseeing quality assurance by coordinating multiple internal and external stakeholders. My work has ensured the successful introduction of Chinese Studies as a new discipline into Cardiff's educational portfolio. 

I have designed and taught both language and cultural modules on the Chinese programme. This includes Chinese language from the beginners to the advanced levels (Years 1-4). In particular, I have created the innovative module of Specialised Chinese (Year 4), covering Chinese for Business and the introduction of Classical Chinese. I also teach Chinese Society and Culture (Year 2) and have contributed to China in Context (Year 1), and seminars for Translation Theory and Translation Practice (Year 1-2) on the programme Modern Languages and Translation (Chinese). I have coordinated the Study Abroad module (Year 3) and continue to coordinate the final-year Dissertation module (Year 4), which involves student supervision and overseeing staff team supervision and grading. 

Additionally, I have contributed to the teaching and/or supervision on Global Cultures (MA) and Translation Studies (MA) . I have provided support, mentoring and line management to junior colleagues, postgraduate teaching assistants and Language for All teachers. 

I have been nominated for multiple teaching awards since joining Cardiff. I was nominated for 'Most Inspiring Teacher' (2018-2019) and 'Most Uplifting Staff Member' (2022-2023). In 2023-2024, I was nominated for 'Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year' (in both the individual and the group category) and 'Doctoral Supervisor of the Year'. In 2024-2025, I have been nominated for 'Most Outstanding Teaching Experience' and, as part of the Chinese Team, for 'Teaching and Collaboration of the Year'. 

Biography

I am a Chinese specialist with a dual focus on sociolinguistics and applied linguistics. My portfolio of research and teaching focuses consistently on new forms and characteristics of language use, cultural practices, and identity articulations emerging from mobilities and infrastructures afforded by globalization, with a strong interest in intercultural meaning making involving Englishes, Sinophone language and culture, and globalization. 

I studied PhD in Sociolinguistics (2017) in Tilburg University, under the supervision of Professors Sjaak Kroon, Ad Backus and Jan Blommaert. My thesis examines language in globalization with attention to the dynamics of linguistic, semiotic and discursive practices in the context of China. Prior to this, I obtained an MA in TESOL and applied linguistics (2008, Distinction) from UCL Institute of Education in the UK, supervised by Professors David Block, Nobert Pachler and Catherine Wallace; and a BA in English Language and Education (1997) from Hubei Minzu University and Wuhan University in China; supervised by Professor Guo Zhuzhang.

Additionally, I have three teaching qualifications: Teaching Chinese as A Foreign Language (2006) from the London School of Oriental and African Studies, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE, 2004) from the UCL Institute of Education, and Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education (1998) from China's Ministry of Education. I have extensive experience in teaching in Chinese and European higher education and supervising students at the bachelor, master, and PhD levels. Prior to joining Cardiff, I held teaching and research positions in University of London (UK), KU Leuven (Belgium), Zuyd University, Tilburg University and Maastricht University (The Netherlands). 

Honours and awards

• 2025: Most Outstanding Learning Experience Award (nomination)
• 2025: Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year (nomination)
• 2024: Grant (£2,500) awarded by Cardiff Strategic Partnership Collaborative Research Fund
• 2024: Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy 
• 2024: Doctoral Supervisor of the Year Award (nomination)
• 2024: Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year Award (nomination)
• 2023: Grant (£2,500) awarded by Cardiff Strategic Partnership Collaborative Research Fund
• 2023: Grant (¥60,000) awarded by the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching 
• 2023: Grant (£5,000) awarded by the Universities' China Committee in London 
• 2023: Most Uplifting Staff Member Award (nomination)
• 2022: Grant (£4,000) awarded by the Universities' China Committee in London
• 2021: Grant (¥40,000) awarded by the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching 
• 2021: Cardiff Outstanding Contribution Award (nomination)
• 2019: Grant (£6,000) jointly awarded by Chinese Language Council International and Beijing Normal University 
• 2019: Cardiff Outstanding Contribution Award 
• 2018: Most Inspiring Teacher Award (nomination) 

Professional memberships

• British Assocation for Applied Linguistics 
• British Chinese Language Teaching Society
• European Association of Chinese Teaching
• International Society for Chinese Language Teaching
• British Association of Chinese Studies

Speaking engagements

Media Engagements: 

2025: interview with BBC Bitesize (UK) What is the Year of the Snake? 

2022: interview with Rest of The World (US) How Chinese citizens use puns on Weibo to talk about #MeToo and zero-Covid without being censored

Conference Presentations (since 2017):

'Framework and practice: A case study on agency in language policy from a Chinese perspective' (forthcoming talk (with J. Chen):  The 5th International Symposium of the European Association of Chinese Teaching. University of Naples “L’Orientale”, Italy. 2-4 July 2025.

'Narrating Linguistic Landscape through Multi-Scalar Chronotopes: A walking tour in an urbanising neighbourhood in China' (forthcoming, with S. Xie). Symposium Languages in the City. Utrecht University, Netherlands. 7-4 April 2025. 

Roundtable Panel 'Intercultural Communication and Chinese Teaching and Learning in the UK'. Global English Education China Assembly 2024. Beijing Normal University, China. 26-29 July 2024.

'The Economy of Transgression: How Female Comedians in China and South Korea Talk about Sex and Relationships on Stand-up Comedies Television Shows' (with E. Chung). Symposium Transgressive Women in East Asian Screen Cultures. Cardiff University, UK. 23-24 May 2024.

'A comparative perspective to Postgraduate training in language education in China and the UK' (with D. Lu). The 2023/2024 European Symposium on the Supervision of Research Students in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. 26-27 March 2024.

'Translanguaging in a virtual Chinese classroom: Students’ practices and attitudes' (with M. Gao).  The 20th International Conference on Teaching and Learning Chinese in Higher Education. University of Edinburgh. 29 June -1 July 2023.

'The practice of translanguaging in a virtual Chinese classroom: A Nordic case study' (with M. Gao). Translanguaging in the Age of (Im)mobility. Dalarna University, Sweden. 12-14 June 2023. 

'Reflections on Transnational Education collaboration: The case of Modern Chinese at Cardiff University'.  The 8th Global Roundtable for Chinese Heads and Programme Directors. Beijing Language and Culture University, China. .27 May 2023 (online).

'Breaking time-space boundaries: Using digital tools in translocal learning'. The 5th BNU-Yonsei University Research Exchange Week ‘Multidisciplinary Research and Teaching of Chinese Language and Literature’. Beijing Normal University, China. 4-5 November 2022 (online).

'Internet Celebrity Cultures and Learning Chinese on Social Media' (with E. Chung).The 4th International Symposium Dialogue on Language, Culture and the Arts. Cardiff University, UK. 10-11 July 2019, 

'Chinese Language Learning and Teaching in Dutch speaking universities: Contexts and Challenges'. Inaugural Symposium of the European Association of Chinese Teaching: Challenges and Opportunities. Confucius Institute at Eötvös Loránd University and the European Chinese Language Teachers Association, Budapest, Hungary. 10-12 February 2017.

Committees and reviewing

Academic Services:

• 2024-Present: Member of Cardiff University Shadow Board for Strategic Equality Plan (2024-2028)
• 2024-Present: Elected committee member and communication secretary for Asian Language Education in Global Contexts SIG in British Assocation for Applied Linguistics
• 2024-Present: Co-editor-in chief of New Perspectives on Languages 
• 2024-Present: Editorial board member of Modern Languages Open 
• 2023-2024: Jury member of  Unversity Chinese Language Teaching Competition in European Anglophone Countries
• 2023-2024: Jury member of Cardiff Chinese Bridge Competition 
• 2022-2024: Elected Chair, member of Executive Committee and Trustee of British Chinese Language Teaching Soceity
• 2022-2024: Appointed Council member of European Association for Chinese Teaching
• 2010-2022: Elected Deputy Chair, member of Executive Committee and Trustee of British Chinese Language Teaching Society 

Reviewer for the following journals:

• Applied Linguistics Review 
• Discourse, Context & Media 
• Applied Linguistics 
• Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics 
• Cogent Arts & Humanities 
• Modern Language Open
• Global Chinese 
• Discourse Studies
• Language and Communication 
• Social Semiotics 
• Translation Studies 
• The Translator
• Language in Society 
• Semiotica the International Journal of Semiotic Studies 
• Language Policy 
• Journal of Sociolinguistics
• Journal of Learning, Media and Communication 
• Journal of Language, Culture and Curriculum 

Referee for the following fundng bodies:

• Arts and Humanities Research Council
• Research Grant Council of Hong Kong
• University of Macau Multi-Year Research Gran

I have recently acted as PhD External Examiner for Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and Tilburg University (Netherlands) and External Examiner for the undergraduate Chinese programme at the University of Lincoln. 

Supervisions

I recently (2024) supervised a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdocoral Fellowship application, scoring 94.2 (threshold 94.6) at the top of the reserve list. I am a lead supervisor, co-supervisor and advisor of PhD projects in interdisciplinary areas of cultural diplomacy, translation studies and linguistic landscape studies, all with Chinese language, culture and society as a key focus of inquiry. These include projects funded by the Economics and Social Research Council and China Scholarship Council. I also supervise dissertations on programmes of MA Global Cultures and BA Modern Languages (Chinese). 

PhD projects:

• Evaluating Welsh Cultural Policy With Reference To Sino-Welsh Exchanges (funded by ESRC Collaborative DTP Scholarship)
• Translating Humour Using Subtitles: Chinese to English 
• Chronotopes, Signs and Changes: An Ethnographic Linguistic Landscape Study of Peri-Urban China (funded by CSC Scholarship)

International visiting scholar projects:

• Minge Chen (Associate Professor, Xiamen University): The history of Chinese language teaching abroad
• Lu Wang (Postdoc, Beijing Normal University): Digital labour in Chinese online literature production 
• Jining Chen (PhD candidate, Beijing Language and Culture University): A practice-based perspective to language policy in UK university Chinese provision 
• Linlin Duan (Lecturer, Wuhan University of Technology): Interlanguage Pragmatic Competence of Chinese Second Language Learners 

I am interested in hearing from doctoral and postdoctal applicants and from international visiting scholars in the areas of critical sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, particularly topics that engage with the Sinophone and transnational Chinese, and address any aspects of language, discourse, culture, identity, or teaching and learning in relation to social changes, digital communication, innovation, and inequalities. These may cover:

• translanguaging and multilingualism
• discourses in media, digital communication and public spaces 
• identity politics of pan Chinese communities 
• language in economic practices  
• intercultural communication 
• second language education 
• technology in communication / language education
• translation as language and cultural practices

Current supervision

Shanshan Xie