Xinwei Zhang

Ansioluettelo

I am a doctoral researcher in social sciences faculty at the University of Helsinki. Most of my research relevant to the globalization of food, East-Asian migration and youth culture.

My research investigates how bubble tea, and the wider culture surrounding it, is developing in greater Helsinki, why is it taking off, which sorts of people are involved, how bubble tea is altered – practically and symbolically – as it is made to work in the Helsinki context, and what the implications may be for wider Finnish cultural life. Currently, I focus on the case of the bubble tea consumption in greater Helsinki area.

Tutkimuskohteet

. Asian food and beverage in the globalization

. global middle-class consumption

. International communication/trade: television formats

. Asian immigrant entrepreneurs and local business owners

Tutkimuksen ja opetuksen kuvaus

With a mixed background in communication, anthropology and sociology, I have long been worked to assist global cultural brands and immigrant entrepreneurs in getting into the local context. I joined SMG in 2017 as an external researcher in iFORMATS (television format team) to analyse and localise the globally popular television format, such as ‘American Idol’ and ‘The voice’, contributing to inventing the Chinese television format selling to the global market. Based on my research and our team effort, the first successful Chinese television format, ‘Singing with legends’, was sold to Spain this summer.

Bringing my interest in immigrant entrepreneurs, I focus my interest much on consumer behaviour and how different local contexts adapt the exotic pop culture and new technology. As a consultant intern, I joined Rhizome, the first consulting company in China to feature applied anthropology, supporting the project, including Airbnb, Alibaba Group and Rio, in brand strategy research. Also, I was co-responsible for the Transsion project in Indonesia, the Philippines and Columbia, figuring out the local middle and upper class’s consumption behaviour in technology products as a part-time analyst in Kantar.

Teaching course:

- Global television theory

- Art history and theory (in film and television)

- Chinese language course for HSK