After researching on the livelihood and identity of Mainland professionals in Hong Kong for my MPhil thesis, I am pursuing my doctoral research on the political economy of innovation and its cultural meaning through the lens of the Chinese toy industry. I am intrigued by the emerging notion of yuanchuang (original creation), as the composition of Chinese characters yuan and chuang implies originality, creativity, and innovation, which further touches upon issues of authorship, legitimacy, and value distribution. I intend to investigate what social and cultural factors drive Chinese practitioners to pursue original creations and showcase the complexities and politics engendered by the existing intellectual property regime.
Current Research Projects
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The Rise of Yuanchuang in the Chinese Toy Industry |