In this month’s newsletter, we would like to introduce PhD graduate, Minglei Wang from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Minglei’s recently submitted thesis, “Chinese Cultural Diplomacy in the 21st Century: The China Cultural Centre Project” received outstanding results from the examiners.
We asked Minglei to share what led him to a PhD why it is important, the most enjoyable the hardest parts of a PhD journey and what the future holds.
What was your research about?
My research is centred on Chinese cultural diplomacy. My thesis, entitled “Chinese Cultural Diplomacy in the 21st Century: The China Cultural Centre Project”, maps out the establishment, operation, and programming of China Cultural Centres (CCCs) through varied data sources. Specifically, it highlights the structural and operational characteristics of CCCs. It also provides insights into their working modes and associated activities based on case studies in Australia. It further sheds light on the implications of those aspects for the CCC project, adding to the understanding of China’s cultural diplomacy in the 21st century, and expands current discussions about Chinese cultural diplomacy.
What was been one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey?
One of the most enjoyable parts was to be able to produce academic publications based on my PhD and other research projects in which I was involved. This gives me a sense of achievement.
What was been one of the hardest parts of the journey?
Dealing with the stress of COVID and managing family commitments while doing a PhD was one of the biggest challenges for me.
How did your supervisors support you during your candidature?
I was very lucky that I had supportive and caring supervisors along my PhD journey.
In particular, Dr. Jeffrey Gil and Dr. Nicholas Godfrey helped me tremendously by providing constructive and timely feedback on my thesis continuously, reading and making suggestions on my revisions, committing their time to meet and talk with me fortnightly about my research. These efforts greatly improved the quality and rigor of my thesis, which was awarded an A/A (degree awarded without amendments)—a testimony to Jeff and Nick’s outstanding supervision.
During my candidature, my supervisors also had me involved in other research projects, giving me opportunities to gain research experience, produce academic outputs, and learn more about conducting research. These opportunities were invaluable and they helped prepare me for my academic pursuits after completing my PhD.
Jeff and Nick encouraged me to explore opportunities that would benefit my career. While having a heavy workload and busy schedule, they were always happy to provide me with useful comments and suggestions on my papers/proposals/applications for conferences, fellowships, and awards. As a result, I was successful in getting
- Chinese Studies Association of Australia Conference Travel Bursary (2023)
- Library (Graduate) Fellowship at Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW), Australian National University (2024)
- Australian Society for Asian Humanities (ASAH) Emerging Scholar Award (2024)
I cannot thank my supervisors enough for the time and care they have invested in guiding me along this journey. I am even more grateful that we have maintained this relationship and friendship after I have completed my PhD.
What advice would you give to those who are about to undertake a PhD?
Before or as you apply for your PhD, it would be good to have an idea of what your research topic and questions are. While they are likely to change/evolve as you progress, considering these aspects carefully at early stages of your PhD is important and beneficial.
What is equally important to think about and plan before commencing your PhD is how you can commit the next 3-4 years to this mammoth task. If necessary, you should have a chat with your family about your plan on carrying out a PhD. Conducting a PhD is challenging and can be quite lonely at times, and you should always remember that having the support from your family and loved ones can help you see through difficult times.
While undertaking your PhD, you should be sensible about how you allocate your time. In my view, while having other experiences can be beneficial, they should not be overly-pursued at the risk of causing significant delays in finishing your PhD. For my part, you should adopt a balanced and selective approach towards such opportunities and aim to complete your thesis on time.
During your PhD, you should try to develop a genuine and trusting relationship with your supervisors, who are one of the few people you can talk to that actually know and care about your research. If you work out a plan with your supervisors, you should meet the agreed deadline for each task, respond to their feedback, and utilise your meeting with them wisely to seek further guidance/answers to specific questions concerning your research.
Perhaps it is worth mentioning again the importance of time management. While it is very important to develop a detailed roadmap for your PhD, it is, to me, more important to implement it. To that end, it is crucial to be self-disciplined so as to manage your (limited) time as a PhD candidate effectively.
What have you been doing since you completed?
I am currently working as a casual academic at the College of Business, Government and Law, and a research assistant at the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Have you published anything?
Wang, M 2024, “Chinese cultural diplomacy in the 21st century: An analysis of China Cultural Centres”, China: An International Journal, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1-24. (accepted for publication in November).
Wang, M, Gil, J & Godfrey, N 2024, “Taiwan’s soft power surge”, East Asia Forum,
Gil, J & Wang, M 2023, “Competing visions of the global promotion of Mandarin”, Language on The Move,
Wang, M 2023, “Can Chinese cultural diplomacy be done without controversy? The case of China Cultural Centres”, Melbourne Asia Review, no.13.