Chuanhui Meng

Chuanhui Meng is a Watson China Initiative postdoctoral research associate in the Department of East Asian Studies at Brown University, specializing in modern and contemporary Chinese film and media with emphasis on transnational genre migrations, Cold War-era film circulations, and ecocritical studies of socialist/post-socialist China.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD (2024) from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• MA (2018) from Duke University
• BA (2015) from Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Dr. Meng's research redefines film genre as an environmental, liminal space connecting domestic cultural-political ecology with transnational migrations of film forms and technologies. Her current book project examines 'genre ecology' in 1950s-1960s socialist Chinese cinema, analyzing how geopolitical borders shaped cinematic experiments. She also investigates environmental challenges, digital platform politics, and evolving human concepts in post-socialist contexts through courses on Chinese literature, film, and new media.

Her scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on Cold War-era transnational film circulation and socialist cinema, with recent work analyzing Lü Ban's comedies as sites of 'comedic modernism' and auteurism within early socialist China's cultural landscape.

Major recognitions include:

• Watson China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship (Brown University)
• Watson China Initiative Annual Research Fund
• Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (University of Minnesota)
• The Harold Leonard Memorial Fellowship in Film Study
• National Scholarship from China's Ministry of Education

Supported by Watson Institute funding, Dr. Meng teaches transnational Chinese cinema courses (including EAST 1308: Transnational Chinese Cinema) while advancing her book project on socialist film genre ecology. Her research bridges film studies, East Asian studies, and Cold War cultural history through innovative ecocritical and transnational frameworks.