Mixed-Method Researcher

Bridging archival and ethnographic work on Cantonese opera, naamyam, and Sinophone media.

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Snapshot of Professional Summary, Education, and Languages

Professional Summary

Mixed-method researcher and ethnomusicologist specializing in Cantonese opera, Sinophone media, and diaspora studies. Experienced in archival processing, ethnographic fieldwork, and cultural policy consulting, with a focus on music’s role in identity and community memory.

Dedicated to bridging academic rigor with community impact through ethnomusicological research and forensic analysis.

Education

PhD Ethnomusicology, UCLA (2024)
MA Music (Ethnomusicology), Wesleyan University (2017)
BM Music, University of California, Irvine (2012)

Languages

Cantonese – Native
English – Fluent
Mandarin – Fluent
Hokkien – Conversational

Featured Projects

Cantonese Opera Lessons & Senior Immigrant Mental Health

2025–Present | Community Music & Well-being

Explores how participation in Cantonese opera lessons impacts mental health and social connection among senior Chinese immigrants using a mixed-methods approach.

Methods: Validated surveys, participant observation, and qualitative interviews.

Status: In-progress.

Funded by UCLA Institute of American Cultures Research Grant

Pipa Iconography in Sinophone Media

2025–Present | Visual Culture & Sinophone Studies

An exploration of how a widely circulated image of a pipa with a missing fret became the visual shorthand for Chinese lute music across Sinophone media. This project examines its cultural symbolism, authenticity debates, and how visual representations of instruments shape heritage branding and memory.

Methods: Archival analysis, visual culture study.

Status: In-progress.

Golden Star Company: Cantonese Opera LPs in the U.S.

Golden Star Company: Cantonese Opera LPs in Americas

2024–Present | UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive

San Francisco–based Golden Star Company, with a sister company in Hong Kong, distributed Cantonese opera LPs across the Americas. Archival letters (1947–1960) reveal networks of immigrant music consumption and the cultural role of recorded opera in diaspora communities.

Methods: Archival letter cataloging, metadata analysis, and cultural mapping.

Status: In-progress; analyzing distribution patterns.

Cantonese Opera Ecosystem in Hong Kong

2018–2024 | Hong Kong | Dissertation Research

Examines Hong Kong’s Cantonese opera ecosystem amid post-1997 cultural shifts, focusing on tensions from the influx of mainland performers and practices into local traditions.

Methods: Multi-year ethnography (pre/during/post-COVID), virtual ethnography, musical analysis, archival research, and thematic analysis of interviews.

Status: Completed PhD dissertation (UCLA, 2024).

Funded by UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship; Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship; UCLA Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship for International Studies; Hiroshi Wagatsuma Graduate Fellowship

Full Case Study

Authentic Nanguan in Taiwan

2018–2019 | Taiwan

Explores Nanguan music’s movement between Southern China, Taiwan, and diasporic communities, focusing on shared heritage and evolving performance practices.

Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork, archival study, and comparative performance analysis.

Status: Fieldwork completed; findings presented at a regional conference and continuing toward publication.

Funded by UCLA–National Taiwan Normal University Taiwan Initiative Fellowship

Full Case Study

Improvisation and Tonal Aesthetics in Cantonese Operatic Songs and Naamyam (Hong Kong)

2015–2017 | Hong Kong | MA Thesis Research

Examines improvisation and tone-melody negotiation in Cantonese operatic songs and naamyam. Based on fieldwork in Hong Kong community music spaces, the study reveals how tonal aesthetics guide improvisation and shape cultural continuity.

Methods: Ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and comparative analysis of performance practices.

Status: Completed MA thesis (Wesleyan University, 2017).

Full Case Study

Consulting & Other Work

Archival and exhibition consulting for Cantonese opera heritage projects, including metadata design and cultural storytelling for NGO fundraisers.

Cultural Heritage Consulting

Archival and exhibition consulting for Cantonese opera heritage projects, drawing on Golden Star Collection and multimedia contributions to cultural fundraisers.