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 Chinese University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong), London (Kingston University), 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. I am an elected fellow of the Higher Education Authority (FHEA), Royal Anthropological Institute (FRAI) and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (FRAS).

My books were awarded and shortlisted for the British Book and Design Awards, the Creative Communication Awards, the International Book Awards (Two Exhibitions between Two Strikes; as author and designer), and Hong Kong Book Prize (the Chinese version of City of Darkness Revised; as co-editor). 

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 the Creative Communication Awards 2021, Finalist in the History: General Category of 2021 International Book Awards, and shortlisted for the 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 Venice Biennale Architettura 2021) on Hong Kong’s public housing typologies.We are working on a filming project about the Hungry Ghost Festival there, funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Hong Kong government. 

 

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. 

 

Selected publications (peer reviewed)

 “Entrepreneurial Seoulite: culture and subjectivity in Hongdae, Seoul”, The International Journal of Cultural Policy, 26(4), pp.564-567. (2019)
 “Doing Criminology on Media and Crime in Asia”, Crime, Media, Culture,13(2), pp.135-151 (with Laidler, K.J. and Lee, M.) (2017)
“Working across the Border: The Social Mobility and Geographical Mobility among Hong Kong Young People”, Youth Exploration, 6(2016), pp.103-109. ＜香港青年的社會流動性與地域流動性研究＞，載《青年探索》，2016年06期，頁103至109。 (2016; in Chinese)
“Does ‘Middle Class Dream’ still exist? A Quantitative Study on the Imagination of Upward Social Mobility by “the Fourth Generation of Hong Kong”, Hong Kong Social Sciences Journal, 41, pp.68-88. (with Shen, S.) ＜「中產夢」還存在嗎？「第四代香港人」對社會向上流動的想像的定量研究＞，載《香港社會科學學報》，總第41期，頁68至88。（與沈旭暉合著） (2011; in Chinese)
“Book Review: Leo Lee, City between Worlds: My Hong Kong”. Hong Kong Social Sciences Journal, 36, pp.182-188. 〈書評：City between Worlds〉，載《香港社會科學學報》，總第36期，頁182至188。(2009; in Chinese) 

Selected publications (non-peer reviewed)

Two Exhibition between Two Strikes - Exhibiting Hong Kong at the British Empire Exhibition: a Collection of Items. Hong Kong: EDGE Production Limited. (in Chinese and English) 《兩次大罷工之間的兩次博覽會：在英帝賽會展示香港（藏品集）》，香港：EDGE Production Limited。(DOI: 10.25442/hku.20638692) (2020)
Heritage and Development in Pokfulam: Bridging History and Future through a Heritage Tour. Hong Kong: Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong. (2015)
City of Darkness. Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Bookstore; Roundtable Synergy Books. (co-edited with Chan, H.H.) 《黑暗之城：九龍城寨的日與夜》。香港：中華書局；圓桌精英。（與陳嫻嫻合編） (2015; in Chinese)
Leaving London. Hong Kong: Roundtable Synergy Books. 《撤出倫敦》。香港：圓桌精英。(2012; in Chinese)
The Fourth Generation of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Roundtable Synergy Books. (with Shen, S.) 《第四代香港人：年輕公共知識分子訪談錄》。香港：圓桌精英。（與沈旭暉合著）(2012; in Chinese)
Post and Pre 80s. Hong Kong: Roundtable Synergy Books. (co-edited with Hui, Y.) 《八十前後：超越社運、世代與抗爭的想像》。香港：圓桌精英。（與許煜合編）(2008; in Chinese)
Block C, 18th Floor: A Radio Drama Channelling People’s Voices for 40 Years. Hong Kong: Enlighten Publishing and Commercial Radio Production. 《十八樓C座：為民喉舌卌年》。香港：亮光文化及商台製作。(2008; in Chinese)

Conference presentation papers

“No walking tour allowed in the city: teaching tourism during the pandemic and protests”, An International In-Person Conference on challenges, innovations, and opportunities in Higher Education practices (the University of Leeds, Leeds), June 23-25, 2023. 
 “Exhibiting Hong Kong in Wembley, London, 1924-1925”, 1st Workshop of Early Career Scholars on Hong Kong History (the Hong Kong History Centre, the University of Bristol, Bristol), May 6, 2023. 
 “Redrawing SPY x Family: the limits of decolonisation”, Aftermath: Mechademia Asia International Conference 2023 (Kyoto Seika University and Kyoto International Manga Museum, Kyoto), May 27-29, 2023. 
 “Present, past and future: collaborative actions for a resilient Pokfulam Village”, 10th Conference of the Pacific Rim Community Design Network (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), Dec 15-17, 2016. (with Cate Christ, M., Sin, B.)
 “The accidental reconstruction of colonial legacy in Hong Kong: a sociological review of built heritage revitalisation since 1997”, 89th annual meeting of Japan Sociological Society (Kyushu University, Fukuoka), Oct 8, 2016.
“Representing local history of Hong Kong through designing heritage tours at Pokfulam”, Inheriting the City: Approaches to Heritage into the Future (Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage of University of Birmingham, Taipei), Mar 31-Apr 4, 2016. (poster presentation)
 

<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 (University of Hong Kong)
• BSosSc Psychology & Sociology (University of Hong Kong)

Professional memberships

• Fellow, Advance HE
• Member, Archives and Records Association, UK & Ireland
• Member, British Sociological Association
• Treasurer and trustee, Literary London Society
• Member, Museum Association
• Member, Regional Studies Association
• Fellow, Royal Anthropological Institute
• Fellow, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Member, Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch
• Member, Royal Historical Society

Student education

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

 

I am interested in supervising PhD projects about the cultural history of Britain and Hong Kong. 

 

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>The school welcomes enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>