“The most precious asset of UNNC is its international resources. The horizon-broadening and cross-cultural experiences gained here are truly life-enriching,” says Flair Donglai Shi, now a Tenure-Track Associate Professor in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), who credits his academic foundation to his time at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC).
In 2010, driven by a passion for English and literature and drawn by UNNC’s all-English instruction and internationally aligned curriculum, Flair chose to study English Language and Literature here. The British-style small seminars helped cultivate his interactive spirit and independent learning skills, while faculty members from various countries brought diverse academic perspectives that broadened his intellectual horizons. Outside the classroom, extensive reading, discussions with professors, participation in the debating society, and exchange programmes in Edinburgh, Seoul and Tokyo deepened his interest in comparative literature.
After graduating from UNNC, he pursued further education at University College London and the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he became the only mainland Chinese PhD student in the English faculty at the time. This unique position prompted deeper reflections on cultural identity, which began to permeate his research. He astutely identified the paradigmatic limitations in Anglophone academia’s study of “Yellow Peril” literature and chose this as his primary research focus. During his six years at Oxford, he engaged in various academic activities at the English Faculty, served as Vice President of the Chinese Studies Society under the China Centre, and was a panel organiser for the Oxford China Forum. He also interpreted for renowned Chinese cultural figures such as Mo Yan and Xu Bing, earning widespread acclaim from both the British academic community and his fellow Chinese students.
In 2022, Flair joined the School of Humanities at SJTU. His academic interests expanded from comparative literature to include China-Africa Cultural Studies and Transnational Sinophone Cinema. In addition to research, he actively engages in cultural dissemination. He is a founding member of the China-Africa International Network (CASIN) and a commissioning editor for the A&HCI journal Literature Compass. He also contributes cultural commentaries to media platforms such as Sixth Tone, The Paper and Wenxuebao. In Shanghai, he actively participated in events including the Shanghai International Literary Week and the Shanghai Biennale, bridging academic research with the cultural needs of the general public.
Reflecting on his educational journey, Flair emphasises the enduring value of UNNC: it not only opened doors to global educational resources and connections but also provided a unique platform for engaging with current affairs and cutting-edge scholarship from a worldly perspective.
Published on 10 June 2025