Chinese Studies

About Us

Chinese Studies at Sheffield forms part of the East Asian Studies community within the School of Languages, Arts & Societies. We are passionate about developing informed, critical perspectives on China and Chinese-speaking communities around the world. Our research-led teaching takes a multidisciplinary approach, drawing together insights from history, politics, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, economics, business, law, media studies, and language education. This gives our students a well-rounded and critical understanding of China from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

Our research and teaching addresses a wide range of themes, including modern and contemporary Chinese history; governance and policy; ethnicity, gender and identities; economic development and social change; media, technology, and popular culture. We are a vibrant community of academic staff, postgraduate researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students who create an active environment of intellectual exchange.

Chinese Studies at Sheffield is also committed to making a difference beyond the university. We work with schools, museums, cinemas, galleries, charities, cultural organisations, and international partners to develop research-informed public engagement activities and collaborative projects.

Research Expertise

Our research covers diverse aspects of China’s past and present from a number of disciplinary backgrounds. We have scholars who address history, literature, and popular culture: Marjorie Dryburgh explores modern Chinese social history, memory and relations with Japan. Justin Winslett examines premodern Chinese history, literary traditions and culture. Wayne Wong examines film, visual culture and transnational Chinese media. 

Others address changes in contemporary Chinese society and culture through diverse perspectives: Christina Maags examines the political economy of heritage and care. Jamie Coates is a specialist in the anthropology of mobility and media between China and Japan.  Yu Chen’s work explores modern Chinese urbanisation, rural-to-urban migration and urban development. Mei Zhang looks at issues of poverty and class, and more recently Chinese sustainable development.  David Tobin is an expert in the domestic and international politics of China, who specialises in ethnic identities, nationalism, and Xinjiang.

Sheffield is also home to a number of experts on Chinese business and economy. Zhong Zhang focuses on corporate governance and law and development in contemporary China. Yu-Wai (Vic) Li focuses on the political economy of finance, and sustainability transitions in the Greater China region

Research Projects

Our staff lead and contribute to a wide range of collaborative and funded research initiatives, often working with partners across the UK and internationally. These projects frequently connect academic research with public engagement.

Examples include:

• Project Sifu – a participatory martial arts cinema project combining filmmaking, martial arts practice, and community engagement
• “We know you better than you know yourself” & “Preventing Transnational Repression”- externally funded projects on China’s ethnic minority policies and transnational repression of the Uyghur diaspora.
• Echoes of Home - a community-based film project about The Uyghur American Cup and its role in celebrating identity, resilience, and home.
• Urban Transformations - Urban Development, Migration, Segregation and Inequality, funded by the ESRC, is a collaborative project which brought together researchers from the University of Glasgow, University of Sheffield and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and developed new ideas, innovative methods and analysis on the impacts of migration on urban development, and the related social-spatial segregation and public policy challenges.
• Dynamics of Health and Environmental Inequalities in Hebei Province, China, funded by the ESRC, explores social and spatial disparities and dynamics in urban areas in Hebei China.
• A comparative study of the impact of COVID-19 on migration, funded by  the WUN Worldwide, examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration dynamics in five countries including China, UK, Netherlands, Brazil, and Ghana.
• Chinese characters and their stories, funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

Staff researching China also regularly participate in and have taken leadership roles in international organisations focused on Chinese Studies including the following:

• British Association of Chinese Studies (BACS)
• International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS)
• Universities China Committee London (UCCL) 

Many projects involve collaboration with universities, cultural institutions and community organisations. Further information and external links to major projects can be found on individual staff pages.

China around campus

China-related activities form a visible and vibrant part of life at the University of Sheffield. The Confucius Institute on campus hosts events for the public and has resources available for learning Mandarin. The university also contributes to Chinese New Year events across the city, in recognition of the vibrant Chinese and diaspora communities across the city.