Lecture by Associate Professor Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt in the 45th talk of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series”
The 45th session of the Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series, hosted by New Era University College’s Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute, took place on 29th October 2025. Guest speaker Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt, Associate Professor at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts, brought fresh insights with her talk titled “Listening to the Past: Chinese Sound and Broadcasting in Postwar Bangkok.” Drawing from her extensive research, Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt explored how radio technology introduced in Bangkok after World War II, reshaped the auditory landscape of the city’s Chinese communities. Far beyond a tool for news, radio became a cultural lifeline, connecting scattered groups and reinforcing shared identity through sound.
Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt, a scholar with both Thai and Chinese heritage, teaches history and general education at Thammasat University and holds a PhD in Chinese Studies from the National University of Singapore. Her research delves into transnational and multilingual exchanges within the cultural networks of China, Thailand, and Southeast Asia. She has published extensively on topics such as Chinese-language Cinema in Bangkok from the 1950s to the 1970s: Industry, Market and Network” (Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies, 2023); “Sinophone Thainess: The Problematic Landscape of Creolization in the Thai-Chinese Translation Zone” (Routledge, 2023, co-authored with Gritiya Rattanakantadilok); “(Re-)narrating the Evolution of the Lanchang-Mekong Cooperation: China’s Diplomacy Behind the Scenes” (Strategic Analysis, 2022, co-authored with Poowin Bunyavejchewin); and “(Re)Diffusion of Beautiful Sound: Chinese Broadcast in Post-war Bangkok” (Routledge, 2022). Through her teaching and research, Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt actively promotes cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue among Chinese, Thai, and English-speaking academic communities, striving to deepen regional cultural understanding and scholarly exchange.
During the session, Dr. Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt emphasized how radio broadcasting helped define public and private spaces for Chinese listeners in Bangkok, creating a collective memory through sound. Her reflections sparked vibrant discussion during the Q&A, where attendees discussed topics ranging from the current state of Chinese-language media in Thailand to the dynamics of radio broadcasting during the Cold War.
The session was moderated by Associate Professor Dr. Wong Wai Shee, Head of the Chinese Language and Literature Department at New Era University College, and drew an audience of over 140 participants.
