What is your favorite movie-theater snack?
I’m not sure I should admit it, but I bring my own food into the theater – nothing like a homemade sandwich with a favorite cheese, especially when surviving multiple screenings on the same day!
What brought you to the University of Washington?
They gave me a job! And in one of the most beautiful cities in the States to boot! Actually, I had a job already, at the University of Georgia, teaching Comparative Literature. But the UW recruited me to teach film – that was exciting! I told one of the people who interviewed me (Gene Vance, RIP) that I didn’t like movies. His face fell : ) Then I said, “I don’t like movies, I’m obsessed with them.” Gene was clearly so relieved...
I found your CMS 313 class to be valuable and fresh. What are you most intentional about when planning and teaching your courses?
I try not to teach only to fill a gap in the curriculum – for example, 313 deals with film post-1990, as part of the history sequence. I aim at making the course immediately relevant, by addressing current social issues and/or pairing the course with SIFF, for the most recent movies we can watch.
What course do you enjoy teaching the most? What interests you about the topic?
Hard to say… probably CMS271, “Great Directors,” on the director Zhang Yimou. I can show students who didn’t even know this director’s name how much we can learn from him, and in general from filmmakers outside the U.S.
Your research has a large emphasis on modern China and Taiwan. What inspired you to pursue such topics?
I started by majoring in East Asian Studies, just because they involved cultures I know very little about. It was like visiting new places even when sitting in class. Then came the Chinese and Taiwanese movies of the 1980s – a glorious time! I got hooked right away.
Do you have a favorite classroom on campus to teach in? A favorite building?
You bet! Kane is marvelous for keeping eye contact with students even in a large class. Same for MGH and Johnson for smaller classes.
What do you find most fulfilling about the work you do as a CMS professor at UW?
I love almost all aspects of my work (just don’t remind me about putting up course materials on Canvas). Seeing graduate students transform into independent researchers over the course of 6-7 years is like witnessing a child grow. Magical!
While working at UW, was there anything that ever surprised you? What was it?
My first course evaluations at the UW: “The instructor wasn’t demanding enough.” Oh, I guess UW students are more motivated than my former students! They actually want to be challenged!
What do you like to do for fun outside of UW?
Tea – hunting for special teas, drinking them, discussing them with other tea-crazy people. If you like pu-erh, come talk to me!
Do you have recommendations for some films to watch?
Goodbye Dragon Inn; Or (My Treasure); To Each His Own Cinema; Portrait of a Lady on Fire; and a thousand more. I recently organized a screening of the documentary Black Box Diaries, and couldn’t sleep for two days. Everyone should watch it (trigger warning: it’s about a real #MeToo case).