A Scholar Bridging Gender Studies and Chinese Cultural Analysis
Dr. Meng Li serves as a Teaching Fellow at the Confucius Institute of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she has established herself as an expert in gender studies and Chinese cultural analysis. After earning her PhD in Gender and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney in 2013, she held positions as Visiting Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Fellow in PolyU's Department of Chinese Culture. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender and culture in contemporary China, with particular emphasis on intellectual women's experiences and representations in popular media. Her groundbreaking work includes analysis of how well-educated Chinese women are portrayed in post-2000s popular culture, examining themes of estrangement and escape in TV dramas, films, and reality shows. As a public intellectual, she contributes to cultural discourse through various platforms, including co-hosting RTHK's TV programme "Dialogue with Masters" where she discusses classical Chinese poetry. Her scholarly work spans contemporary Chinese literature, popular culture, and women's history, making significant contributions to understanding the complex relationship between gender, intellectualism, and cultural representation in modern China.