I am currently working with my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Cheong, UBC Sociology Assistant Professor, on a project exploring the experiences of nonresidents who have given birth in Canada. This interdisciplinary collaboration with Dr. Megan Gaucher (PI; Carleton University), Dr. Jamie Liew (University of Ottawa), and Dr. Yin-Yuan Chen (University of Ottawa) will examine how “birth tourism” is framed in current policy, political, and media debates, and identify how these frames and definitions influence current approaches to identifying and estimating the prevalence of “birth tourists” in Canada; Disentangle the potentially diverse motivations and experiences of non-resident parents who give birth to their children on Canadian soil.

The research of my MA thesis “What Holds Us Together: Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Longji Zhuang Ecomuseum” stems from recent fundamental reorientations of museology from a primary focus on material culture to enhancing visibility and preserving intangible cultural heritage. It is also embedded in the context of China’s museum development, especially the unprecedented attention and movement towards the intangible cultural heritage.  Both the concepts of ecomuseum and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage stress the significance of community participation and a people-centered, more integrated, and collaborative way of museum practices. This is fundamentally different from the approach adopted in China. By examining Longsheng Longji Zhuang Ecomuseum in Guangxi province, China, I aim to explore: after being built by the top-down government-led approach, to what extent does this ecomuseum empower the local community and/or give local people agency regarding the way intangible cultural heritage is being chosen, showcased, interpreted, preserved, and transmitted.