Special Projects

Bachelor of International Security Studies/ Bachelor of Arts

3rd year

What is your cultural/ethic heritage and what do you love about it? How has it shaped you?

I'm ethnically Chinese, with parents who were both born in Hong Kong. Growing up in a bilingual household, I've grappled a lot with trying to balance both parts of my identity, the Chinese and Australian-side. But being able to travel periodically to Hong Kong to visit extended family has given me the space to really acknowledge and appreciate a part of my background that I have often been told to forget. For me, exploring Hong Kong food, film and music have been the avenues that I have taken to re-connect with my culture!

What language/s can you speak? Or what language/s would you love to learn?

I can speak Cantonese casually and I learnt Mandarin for a few years in high school (although I'm very much still a beginner)! In general I would love to be able to increase my conversational fluency in both of these, particularly the former. I think reading comprehension is another part of both languages that I would love to improve.

What made you interested in Asia and the Pacific regions? Where would you ideally travel?

My interest in the region began with my fondness of history and global politics in high school. Since entering university, the diversity of the Asia Pacific region in terms of culture, as well as security issues, has been incredibly engaging to learn about. I think this academic yearning, coupled with a love of immersive travelling, ensured that I was deeply connected to the region on a personal level. I have a particular nostalgia for Cambodia and Taiwan, whose modern history is of immense interest to me! I hope to travel back to both of these countries in the near future and to be able to reconnect with the wonderful people that I met during my time travelling.

What issue in Asia or the Pacific regions are you most passionate about/intrigued by?

My interests are broad-ranging, but a topic that I'm fascinated by is the legacy of colonialism and its lasting effect on state identity, as well as on local art and culture. In my degree so far, I have been able to review Indonesia as a case study for this topic and it has been fascinating to see how tangible the effects are on the tourism industry. On another note, having studied the role of women in the Middle East, I am incredibly intrigued to see how it differs from the Asia and Pacific regions. Alongside art history and gender studies, my interests also lie in geopolitical security, with the Blue Economy being a new topic that I am eager to learn more about.

Do you have any favourite books/movies from Asia or the Pacific regions? Why would you recommend it?

In terms of books, I recently read Mary Jean Chan's poetry collection 'Flèche' which was absolutely sensational! She writes evocatively about her childhood and uncovers intersectional themes relating to multilingualism, queerness and dual cultural identities. This was a sweetly enchanting collection that I cannot recommend enough. My second book suggestion was recommended to me by my mum and was an immediate five-star read. 'Wild Swans' by Jung Chan is an inter-generational biography that follows three daughters navigating the changing socio-political conditions of 20th Century China. Finally, my one film recommendation would be Wong Kar Wai's 'Chungking Express'. This Hong Kong film is well known in the Western cultural sphere and features a boldly recognisable cinematography style and movie soundtrack that I'm obsessed with.