On Monday, October 20th, the CSCC and Division of Social Sciences hosted a thought-provoking talk by Dr. Carwyn Morris, Senior Lecturer in Digital Society and Geography at SOAS University of London. Titled “Wanghong as a Method for Understanding a Globalising China,” the talk delved into the concept of Wanghong—internet fame—viewing it as a critical tool to analyze the global rise of Chinese capital, culture, and technology. Dr. Morris is an expert on the relationship between digital spaces and urban environments.
The event attracted an engaged audience of over thirty participants, including graduate students from Fudan University and Nanjing University. Dr. Morris’s insights prompted participants to rethink the scope of Wanghong, moving beyond its common association with viral individuals to see it as a lens for understanding places, capital, and the multifaceted nature of a globalizing China. Through a specific focus on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the talk illustrated how Wanghong reveals the “gaps” in urban and cultural contexts that Chinese elements occupy and transform, offering a fresh perspective on global connectivity. The talk drew from his co-authored work with Dr. Yuchen Chen, an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at CUNY.
This event was co-organized by the Digital Technology and Society Cluster under the CSCC and the Division of Social Sciences, highlighting DKU’s interdisciplinary approach to examining contemporary Chinese society and its global implications.
