School of Arts
Zhang Hanxiang
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Key information
Key information
- Department
- School of Arts
- Qualifications
-
BA (University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China)
MA (University College London) - Email address
- 723412@soas.ac.uk
- Thesis title
- Diasporic Chinese Identities in Southeast Asian Tropical Space – A Visual Representation
- Internal Supervisors
- Professor Lindiwe Dovey & Professor Rachel V Harrison
Biography
Hanxiang Zhang is a London-based filmmaker currently pursuing a PhD in Film Studies at SOAS, University of London. His current practice-based project, Diasporic Chinese Identities in Southeast Asian Tropical Space – A Visual Representation, is related to his previous research on the Chinese diaspora, and continues to explore the identities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia through documentary filmmaking.
Their current PhD research utilises visual storytelling techniques to examine representations of Southeast Asian Chinese in contemporary cinema, with a focus on how tropical space shapes Chinese identities. It will consist of a new documentary film and a written thesis, addressing the cultural and environmental aspects of identity representation in Southeast Asian Chinese-language cinemas.
He identifies as a Hainanese from Hainan Island, south of China. He made the film Hainanese Among Others (2021) about his family’s migration history. This film, alongside his new project, was premiered at SOAS College of Humanities Inaugural PGR Symposium in 2024 and has been included in several conferences, such as the PGR Migration Conference at the University of Sheffield and the British Association for Chinese Studies annual conference at the University of Leicester in 2025.
Hanxiang has professional experience in both the Chinese and British film industries, having collaborated with filmmakers, curators, distributors, and researchers. He also has a long-term academic career in the field of documentary film. Hanxiang holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, and received a Master’s degree in Ethnographic and Documentary Film (Practice-based) from University College London (UCL).
During his Master’s, Hanxiang conducted fieldwork in Somers Town, London, in collaboration with the local community and the local museum. His films All the Town’s Memory (2023) and Statues Also Forget (2023) explore the overlooked histories and collective memory of the working class. Since 2023, both films have been screened multiple times and archived at the People’s Museum in Somers Town.
Research interests
Practice-based Research
Filmmaking
Chinese-language Cinemas
Southeast Asian Cinemas
