Dr. Gary Pui-fung Wong

Profile

I am a lecturer (teaching and scholarship) in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. Before joining Leeds, I have been a lecturer in Hong Kong (the University of Hong Kong), London (Kingston University; part-time), and Suzhou (HKU Space Suzhou College). From 2017 to 2019, I was responsible for a credit-bearing summer programme of the University of California, Berkeley.

Research interests

My research interest includes Hong Kong’s cultural history, sociology of space, social mobility in post-colonial Hong Kong, and radio drama. Most of my research projects are interdisciplinary in nature. I am also interested in bringing research and teaching together. Some selected projects below:

 

Research, archival and exhibition project – Exhibiting Hong Kong in London

This is an archival cum research project on Hong Kong’s participation in the British Empire Exhibition in the 1920s. Funded by Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, I catalogued and digitalised more than 180 archival items that I collected, reviewed the exhibition’s organising process, as well as examined the representation of Hong Kong in Britain. A mini-exhibition was held at Brent Civic Centre in 2020, with the support from the Knowledge Exchange Fund of the University of Hong Kong, Brent Council and Wembley History Society. A two-part multimedia retrospective exhibition was held in Hong Kong in 2021-2022, funded by Hong Kong Arts Development Council. The book catalogue of my collection received Honourable Mention in Art and Culture Books of Creative Communication Award 2021, Finalist in the History: General Category of 2021 International Book Awards, and  and shortlisted for British Book Design and Production Awards 2022 (Exhibition Catalogues), as an author and book designer.

 

Research and knowledge exchange project – Wah Fu Estate: Everyday Space and Memory

I co-convene this interdisciplinary project with colleagues from sociology and landscape architecture. We received four rounds of funding from the Knowledge Exchange Office of the University of Hong Kong to record the oral history of residents, capture residents’ home space by 3D scanning, and examine how landscape design consolidates community development at Wah Fu Estate – a modernist public housing estate in Hong Kong. Besides research, we carried out public engagement exercises like public exhibitions, an online community museum and art engagement activities. Our team also produced a short film (screened at Urban Screening 2021, Melbourne Design Week 2022 and Oslo Architecture Triennale 2022) and an installation (selected for the Hong Kong Pavilion at Biennale Architettura 2021) on Hong Kong’s public housing typologies.

 

Experiential learning projects

As part of the course assignments, students were guided to collect primary data, produce travel guides to raise public awareness of local history and heritage preservation of Hong Kong’s local communities (namely, the Eastern District, Ha Tsuen and Pokfulam Village), and reflect on the impacts of cultural and heritage tourism. Project outcomes were distributed at respective communities, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s visitor centres, campus and the Internet. These projects were funded by Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Centre of the University of Hong Kong.

 

Research and archival project – Hong Kong’s radio drama (1960-1970s)

Funded by Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, I digitalised 23 radio dramas that Commercial Radio Hong Kong produced in the 1960s-1970s, and interviewed veteran broadcasters. The clips are permanently archived at Digital Repository@Hong Kong University Libraries. Research findings were shared through a radio programme.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

• PhD Sociology (University of Birmingham)
• MPhil Sociology (The University of Hong Kong)
• BSosSc Psychology & Sociology (The University of Hong Kong)

Professional memberships

• Archives and Records Association, UK & Ireland
• The British Sociological Association
• Association for Recorded Sound Collections
• Hong Kong Sociological Society
• International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives
• Japan Sociological Society
• Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch
• The University & College Designers Association

Student education

I am currently convening and teaching several modules with topics including city, media studies, popular culture and research methods. I am a personal tutor of UG students and supervise the dissertations of UG and PGT students.