USC Dornsife Student Brings Sinophone Literary Research to International Conference
Ngoi Hui Chien, a PhD student in the Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture program, brings together multiple languages, histories and critical perspectives.
As a PhD student in the Comparative Studies in Literature and Culture program at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Ngoi Hui Chien is building a scholarly path that bridges English-language and Chinese-language literary traditions.
Originally from Malaysia, Ngoi began his academic journey studying English literature. Before arriving at USC, he completed two master’s degrees at the Universiti Malaya and the University of Leeds. But over time, he realized his intellectual interests extended beyond a single literary scope and within the complex cultural terrain of the Sinophone world.
“I wanted to combine my expertise in English language literature with my interest in Chinese language literature,” he explained. Comparative literature provided him with the space to bring those two areas together.
A major factor that drew him to USC was the opportunity to work with USC Dornsife professor Brian Bernards, whose research on Malaysian Chinese literature had long influenced his academic interests.
“I knew about his work before I decided to pursue a PhD,” Ngoi said. “Being able to study with him was a key reason I applied to USC.”
At USC, Ngoi’s transnational and translingual research focuses on literature within the British, U.S., Chinese and Japanese empires, exploring how these nations depict the imperial afterlives in Chinese cultures through poetry. His work also examines how writers tackle and reflect the political issues of their particular era, all grounded within a wider historical lens.
These interests formed the basis of a panel he recently participated in at the annual conference of the Association for Asian Studies in Vancouver, Canada. Supported by funding from USC and shaped through mentorship from university professors, his work was featured in the panel titled “Inter-imperial Sinoglossia: Contemporary Literature and Transmedia Practices,” which brought together professors and four PhD students to explore how modern writing engages with the Sinospheres of mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and beyond.
During the panel, Ngoi also presented his paper, “The Chinese Empire Between the Lines: John Minford’s Translation of Leung Ping-kwan’s Lotus Leaves,” which studies the political significance of how an original representation of the Chinese Empire is sublimated when translated into English.
“Our main purpose was to explore the attachment, as well as resistance, to Chineseness in various ways,” Ngoi said.
Presenting at the Association for Asian Studies conference offered Ngoi an opportunity to engage with scholars from across disciplines and regions. Participants came from the University of Hong Kong, the National Taiwan University, Emory University and other universities across Canada, all joining to rethink how to conceptualize China beyond the constraints of disciplinary, linguistic and geographical boundaries.
As Ngoi continues his doctoral research at USC, he plans to complete his studies in 2029 and hopes to pursue a career as a literature professor, illuminating the intricate cultural dialogues that shape contemporary writing.
With an academic background spanning both Chinese- and English-language literary traditions, his work reflects the strengths of comparative literature as a field: bringing together multiple languages, histories and critical perspectives to better understand how writing travels and transforms.
Acknowledgements
Ngoi’s research was supported by the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences/Graduate School Fellowship, the Annual Conference Travel Grant from the Association for Asian Studies, and the Graduate Student Government Travel Grant (Spring 2026).
His paper is derived from the seminar paper Ngoi wrote for COLT/CSLC 510 (Introduction to Translation Studies: What to Think of Translation?), a course taught by Professor Peggy Kamuf in Spring 2025. Ngoi sincerely thanks Professor Kamuf for her feedback and guidance throughout his research. Ngoi is also grateful for the feedback from Professor Gian-Maria Annovi and Professor Brian Bernards.
