International Academic Exchange Office

Speakers: 

1. Dr. Ng Yean Leng

Ph.D. in Literature from Universiti Putra Malaysia. Currently a Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in New Era University College, as well as President of The Writers Association of Chinese Medium. Her research areas include Malaysian Chinese literature, classical Chinese fiction, Chinese business culture, and overseas Chinese literature. She has edited Inheriting Century-Old Businesses: A Chinese Narrative, Malaysian Chinese Literature in Chinese Textbooks (National Secondary School Edition), Western Impressions of British Malaya, The Continuing Interpretation: A Collection of Critical Essays on Mahua Literature, has published The Moving Light.

2. Dr. Fan Pik Wah

Ph.D. in Classical Chinese Literature from Peking University. Currently serves as Executive Advisor of The Writers Association of Chinese Medium. Formerly Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Chinese Studies of the University of Malaya, and former President of The Writers Association of Chinese Medium. His research focuses on classical Chinese poetry, Malaysian Chinese literature, and Chinese culture. She has published nine essay collections, including The Torchbearer, I Will Think of You on the Great Wall, and Seeing China from Peking University. Her academic publication include Malaysia Chinese Literature’s Era and Memories and A Series of Critiques on Malaysian Chinese Literature 

– Fan Pik WahVolume. She is also the chief editor of the Malaysian Chinese Literature Award Series and 100 Critics on Malaysian Chinese Writers.

3. Dr. Liau Ping Leng

Ph.D. in Chinese Studies from the National University of Singapore. Currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Department at the Institute of Chinese Studies, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Sungai Long Campus). Her research areas include modern Chinese literature, global Chinese literature, Malaysian Chinese children’s literature and culture, gender studies, and print culture. She co-edited I Think, I Write, and her publications include In Search of the “New Man”: Representations of Male Images in May Fourth Women’s Literature, “The Subtle Trajectory Between Official and Popular Spheres: The Current Situation and Myths of Malaysian Chinese Children’s Translated Readings,” “Democratizing the Perception and Practice of Desire: Gender Relations in May Fourth Women’s Literature through the Lens of Male Images,” and “On the Female Surplus in Shang Wanyun’s Fiction,” among others.

4. Dr. Florence Kuek

Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Malaya. Currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chinese Studies of the University of Malaya and Treasurer of The Writers Association of Chinese Medium. Recipient of the 2024 Muara Writing Prize (Malay Short Story Category) at the George Town Literary Festival. Her research areas include Malaysian Chinese literature, global Chinese literature, and education. Her publications include the translated and edited anthology Tasik Itu Bagai Cermin – Anthology of Mahua Short Stories (The Lake as a Mirror – Selected Translations of Chinese-Malaysian and Malay Short Stories), and the scholarly monograph Braving Irrationality: An Ethical Literary Criticism of Han Suyin’s Autobiography.
 

Moderator and Discussant: Dr. Siew Wen Jia

Currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of New Era University College. Her research interests include modern Chinese literature, Malaysian Chinese/Nanyang literature, and modern and contemporary literature and culture. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Chinese Studies from the University of Malaya in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Peking University in 2017. She later joined the “Neo-Sinology Program” to pursue a Ph.D. in China and received her Doctorate in Chinese Language and Literature from Peking University in 2022. Her major academic outcomes include her doctoral dissertation “Nanyang Memories and Cross-border Networks: The Foreign Land, Imperialism and Wartime from the Returners’ Perspective,” and journal articles such as “Drifting Experience and Colonial Cracks—Centered on AI WU’s ‘Heading South’ and the ‘Travel to the Sea’ / Island in Wandering Miscellaneous Records,” and “ ‘Modern Epic’ and Anti-Japanese War in Burma-Yunnan——Centered on Du Yunxie’s Forty Poems and other essays.” 

Research Methodology in Malaysian Chinese Literature

This lecture introduces key research methods in Malaysian Chinese Literature, highlighting the methodological issues involved in studying the field. Given its historical background of migration and multicultural interaction, the study of Malaysian Chinese Literature extends beyond textual analysis to include literary history, cultural identity, and social context. The lecture will outline fundamental approaches such as the use of historical materials and textual analysis, while considering the applicability of established literary research paradigms.

The lecture will also explore multiple research perspectives, including literary-historical analysis, close reading of texts, and theoretical approaches related to identity and gender. Through this overview, postgraduate students are expected to gain a clearer understanding of research directions and methodological choices in Malaysian Chinese literary studies.

Date: 6 December 2025 (Saturday)
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: Hybrid: ZOOM（Meeting ID: 8266571752, Password: 018871）& Menara Nantah 801 classroom
Language: Chinese

Registration: Please click the following link to register by 4 December 2025: t.ly/6M0Mm