The Institute of Asia and Pacific Studies (IAPS), together with the School of Politics and International Relations, funded my PhD fieldwork in China between 23 March and 23 May 2015.
The main purpose of this fieldwork was for me to collect Chinese materials in libraries and museums, and to conduct interviews for my research. During my two-month stay in China, I was primarily based at the Department of International Relations of Tsinghua University in Beijing, where I attended several important seminars (China’s cultural diplomacy, international order etc.) and discussed with many Chinese scholars about issues on nationalism, democracy, and the role of culture in national identification. In addition, the access to the abundant Chinese materials at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library enabled me to better understand the cultural context that Chinese nationalist discourse is situated in and to complete my new chapter on the contextualization of Chinese cyber nationalism. Meanwhile, I had a brilliant time with new people I met in Beijing and developed good networks with other researchers.
This fieldwork is such a great experience that has deepened my understanding on my research topic and offered me insights into the current debate in China. I am very grateful for the generous support from both IAPS and the School of Politics and International Relations.
Jing Cheng, Doctoral Researcher
Posted on Thursday 11th June 2015