Dr Wayne Wong

School of Languages, Arts and Societies

Lecturer in East Asian Studies

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Student Experience Lead, School of Languages, Arts, and Societies (SLAS)

k.wong@sheffield.ac.uk

1.09, Jessop West

Full contact details

Dr Wayne Wong
School of Languages, Arts and Societies
1.09
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
Sheffield
S3 7RA

Profile

Wayne Wong holds a PhD in Film Studies and Comparative Literature from King’s College London and the University of Hong Kong. His research centres on global martial arts and action cinema, with a particular interest in their politics, aesthetics, and cross-cultural circulation. His work has appeared in leading journals and edited volumes, including Asian Ethnicity, Global Media and China, Asian Cinema, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, Martial Arts Studies, Afro-Futurism in Black Panther: Gender, Identity, and the Re-Making of Blackness, The Worlds of John Wick: The Year’s Work at the Continental Hotel, The Cinema of Stephen Chow, and Fighting Stars: Stardom and Reception in Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema.

He serves as an editor of Martial Arts Studies, the flagship journal of the Martial Arts Studies Research Network, and is the director of Project Sifu (2025), a documentary that empowers UK youth through martial arts cinema and collaborative filmmaking.

Wong is currently developing new strands of work with artists, curators, filmmakers, and community organisations across the UK. Through film, exhibition, and performance, he explores emerging forms of Hong Kong diasporic identity and the creative possibilities that arise from transnational cultural exchange.

Qualifications: PhD (King’s College London, University of Hong Kong)
MPhil (University of Hong Kong)
BA (University of Hong Kong)

Research interests

Global Martial Arts and Action Films
East Asian Cinemas
Film Aesthetics and Media Philosophy
Popular Culture, Identity Politics, and Gender Issues
Hong Kong–UK Diaspora
Game Studies and New Media
Digital Humanities

Teaching interests: I have taught a wide range of courses in the field of film, media and cultural studies at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, such as ‘Media, Culture, and Society in East Asia’, ‘Gender and Identities in East Asia’,‘ Mass Culture in East Asia’, ‘Asia on Global Screens’, ‘Chinese Cinemas’, ‘ Hong Kong Cinema through a Global Lens’, ‘ Authorship and Creativity in the Cinema’, ‘Discourses in Popular Culture’, and ‘Gender Issues’. My previous academic appointments include King’s College London, the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Teaching activities

LAS233 Mass Culture in East Asia

LAS234 Gender and Identities in East Asia

LAS366 East Asian Dissertation

Publications

Monograph

Wong, W. (2026). Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy, and Cinematic Mediation. Edinburgh University Press.

Film

Wong, W. (2025). Project Sifu. 45 mins: www.projectsifu.org.uk.

Journal Articles

Wong, W. and Cheung, C. (2025). Embodied Resistance: Hong Kong Diaspora Art in the UK. Asian Ethnicity. December, 1–27.

Wong, W. (2022). A Tale of Two Dragons: Politics of the Comedic Kung Fu Body in Chinese Cinema. Archiv Orientální 90 (3), 503-530.

Wong, W. (2019). Beyond the Cinematic: Reinventing Chinese Martial Arts through New Media Art Practices. Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art 6 (2), 367–91.

Wong, W. (2019). Nothingness in Motion: Theorizing Bruce Lee’s Action Aesthetics. Global Media and China 4 (3), 362–80.

Wong, W. (2018). Action in Tranquillity: Sketching Martial Ideation in The Grandmaster. Asian Cinema 29 (2), 201–23.

Wong, W. (2017). Synthesizing Zhenshi (Authenticity) and Shizhan (Combativity): Reinventing Chinese Kung Fu in Donnie Yen’s Ip Man Series (2008-2015). Martial Arts Studies 3, 71–88.

Book Chapters

Wong, W. (2024a). “Bruce Lee is My Idol”: Embodying Kung Fu in Nonsensical Humour. In G. Bettinson & V. P. Y. Lee (Eds.), The Cinema of Stephen Chow (pp. 180–202). Bloomsbury Academic.

Wong, W. (2024b). Kwan Tak Hing: Pioneer of Kung Fu Cinema. In K. Barrowman (Ed.), Fighting Stars: Stardom and Reception in Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema (pp. 19–39). Bloomsbury Academic.

Wong, W. (2022). Killing in Equanimity: Theorizing John Wick’s Action Aesthetics. In Watt S. M. & Watt C. G. (Ed.), The Worlds of John Wick: The Year's Work at the Continental Hotel, (pp. 84–120). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Wong, W. (2021). From Expressivity to Equanimity: New Black Action in Black Panther. In White R. & Ritzenhoff K. (Ed.), Afro-Futurism in Black Panther: Gender, Identity, and the Re-Making of Blackness, (pp. 53–72). London: Rowman and Littlefield.

Wong, W. (2016). Beyond’ Rivers and Lakes’: RoCH Fans and Legends’ Repositioning of Wuxia Fantasy. In Lok S. P. S. (Ed.), RoCH Fans & Legends. Derby: Derby QUAD & Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art.

Blu-ray Video Commentaries & Essays

Wong, W. (2025). Peking Opera Blues (1986). “ Masks, Sisters, and Revolutions: Gender and Performance in Tsui Hark’s Peking Opera Blues.” Imprint Asia, Via Vision Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The Invincible Eight (1971). “New interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The Ghost Lovers (1974). “Film scholar Wayne Wong on ‘The Ghost Lovers.’” Imprint Asia, Via Vision Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). Trilogy of Swordsmanship (1972). “New interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Chang Cheh.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). Bat without Wings (1972). “Filmed appreciation of Bat Without Wings by Wayne Wong.” Shawscope Volume Four Limited Edition Blu-ray. Arrows.

Wong, W. (2025). Vengeance of a Snow Girl (1971). “Hong Kong Hustle – new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Lo Wei.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The 14 Amazons (1972). “‘The 14 Amazons’: A Legend Across Media – interview with film scholar Wayne Wong.” Imprint Asia, Via Vision Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The Lady Hermit (1971). “The Greatest Swordsman: Ho Meng Hua vs. King Hu – interview with film scholar Wayne Wong.” Imprint Asia, Via Vision Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The Tattooed Dragon (1973). “Here Be Dragons – new discussion of Tattooed Dragon with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). Bells of Death (1968). “For Whom the Bell Tolls – A New Interview with Wayne Wong .” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). The Snake Prince (1976). “Be Polite: The Myriad Delights of The Snake Prince – analysis by film scholar Wayne Wong .” Imprint Asia, Via Vision Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2025). Shaolin Boxers (1974). “Shaolin Style – new interview with Wayne Wong, editor of Martial Arts Studies.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2024). The Daredevils and Ode to Gallantry. “Deadly Venoms – new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the Venom Mob.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2024). Shatter (1973). “Cultural Crossover: Martial Arts Cinema Expert Wayne Wong Examine Shatter’s Place in the Wider Context of 1970s Action/Crime Films and Asian Martial Arts Cinema.” Hammer Films.

Wong, W. (2024). Horrible History. “National Defence – A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on Boxer Rebellion. Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2024). The Sword (1980). “Forging Ahead – A new interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong on The Sword and the wuxia genre.” Eureka Entertainment.

Wong, W. (2024). Super Spies and Secret Lies. “A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong, editor of Martial Arts Studies.” Eureka Entertainment.

Book Reviews

Wong, W. (2025). Hong Kong Remembered and Rewritten: Jeffrey Wasserstrom’s Vigil. Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, 6 Aug. 2025.

Wong, W. (2015). Jet Li: Chinese Masculinity and Transnational Film Stardom. Martial Arts Studies 1, 86–96.