The Heritage and Communication Research Group explores the preservation, representation, and utilisation of cultural heritage, including in terms of the built environment (e.g., conservation, regeneration and revitalisation, economic growth and sustainability), creative industries (e.g., film and TV industries, new media technologies/social media) and identity-building through cultural representation (e.g., cultural diplomacy and nation-branding). This intersects with questions of identity, agency, and ownership in intellectual, political or economic terms.
Members’ recent and current research includes revitalising rural communities in northern Fujian province, the heritage sites in Suzhou Historical City, and the role of China’s creative industries in the nation’s attempt to refresh its image and to build international soft power.
The group builds on existing expertise in cultural heritage, including a strong track record in external funding both locally and internationally. This includes projects funded by the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Chiang-ching Kuo Foundation, the British Council, National Social Science Fund of China, and funding through municipal and provincial governments in Ningbo, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Fujian.
Other indicators of esteem and expertise include group members’ roles as Vice President of Association of Critical Heritage Study (ACHS) and Executive Secretary of the Academic Committee of Urban and Rural Built Heritage under the Architectural Society of China (Dr Dong), and the chairing of a special panel on communication, cultural heritage and community building for the 2022 annual conference of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) in Beijing, and a panel on representations, cultural heritage and image building for the 2022 IAMCR pre-conference in Suzhou (Professor Zhang).
| Xiaoling Zhang | Yiping Dong | Emily Williams | Hui Miao |
| Jiawen Han | Karolina Pawlik | Kelvin Ke Jinde | Stephen Andriano-Moore k |
| Ting Wen | Xianwen Kuang | Xiao Lu | Xi Liu |
| Yang Liu |
Yao Cheng
Yao Cheng, majoring in Film Studies, is a PhD candidate at the Department of Media and Communication, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. She is currently working as a research assistant at the Heritage and Communication Research Group.
Yu Gong
Yu Gong majored in Chinese traditional painting, received the BA degree from Nanjing normal university, and M.S. degree in Suzhou University, inheritance of traditional culture. Since 2000, she has been teaching folk art and Chinese art history, and in 2011, she joined XJTLU, lead teams of students learn about traditional Chinese art through interactive activities, lectures and exhibitions.
Yunpeng Xiang
Yunpeng Xiang received the BA degree in Architecture and M.S. degree in Industrial Design from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China and University of Liverpool, UK. She is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in China Studies with the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi’an JiaotongLiverpool University, China. Her research interests include Intangible Cultural Heritage Innovation and interpretation, and cultural and creative design. Since 2018, she has started to involve into the practical design work of Intangible cultural heritages and made achievement.
