/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/ en /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/irene-yao-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Irene Yao, and at the time of writing, I’m heading into my final semester at 麻豆社, majoring in Political Science with minors in Psychology and Field Study focused on environmental sustainability. Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly interested in how law, politics, and culture intersect—not just in the abstract, but in people’s everyday lives. This program gave me the chance to explore those intersections more deeply through a self-directed research project in Shantou, China, supported by Professor Juan Wang. My project focused on legal pluralism in the Chaoshan Mon, 03 Aug 2026 19:04:02 -0400 Irene Yao 660 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/celine-li-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Introduction My name is Celine Li and I am in my third year of undergraduate studies majoring in Economics with minors in Political Science and Sociology. As the daughter of two second-generation Chinese immigrants, the Chinese language has been a part of my upbringing for as long as I can remember. Every Saturday morning was spent at Chinese language school, then Chinese dance school, and then Chinese music school. I hadn’t had much of a choice as this had been the set curriculum that, looking back, I one thousand percent took for granted. If I could go back in time, I would replace the eye Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:12:52 -0400 Celine Li 659 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/halina-li-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Halina Li, and I am a third-year student at 麻豆社 majoring in Political Science, with minors in Economics and International Development. I am particularly interested in the intersection of law, gender, and power—especially in contexts where legal protections exist in statute but fail in practice. As part of the Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative, I undertook a research project on women’s property rights in the Chao’shan (潮汕, Cháoshàn) region of Guangdong (广东, Guǎngdōng). My research examined how Confucian kinship principles, state legal frameworks, and structural inequalities Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:28:16 -0400 Halina Li 658 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/victoria-dong-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E About me My name is Victoria Dong, and I am a U2 Honors student majoring in East Asian Studies with a minor in Drama and Theatre. My research focuses on media and culture in China and Korea, which led me to explore traditional Chaoshan weddings. I’m particularly interested in how the representation of traditional wedding practices reflects local nostalgia and pride in the past, and how women navigate their roles within a cultural framework that both idealizes and restricts them. As a Chinese international student who grew up in China but now studies in Canada, I approach my own culture with a Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:09:57 -0400 Victoria Dong 656 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/yunung-lee-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Background I am a international PhD candidate in the School of Social Work at 麻豆社, walking into my fourth year of study. My research focuses on the factors and processes that shape educational upward mobility among socioeconomically disadvantaged emerging adults. My 2025 LKS-STU research project builds on my 2024 study by further exploring the psychosocial experiences and career imagination of first-generation college students. Specifically, my aim for this year's project was to interview at least 15 students whose parents had not received a college education, had worked in Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:09:27 -0400 Yunung Lee 657 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/esther-forbes-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E From the moment I arrived in Shantou, the fact that I was a part of the last cohort this exchange program would have weighed heavy on me. Despite constant reassurance from the program’s supervisors that I ought to just enjoy my time in Shantou, I couldn’t escape this remarkable feeling of pressure. While settling into life in China I did not quite understand what this program was going to truly mean for me, however I wasted no time trying to make the most out of this trip. Throughout my exchange, I took it upon myself to keep a journal with me everywhere I went. Despite the minor inconvenience Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:38:01 -0400 Esther Forbes 655 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/erica-zhang-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Before entering my fourth and last year in the Joint Honours in East Asian Studies and Sociology, I decided to participate in the Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative Chinese Intensive Language Program to expand my understanding of Chinese social customs and beliefs. As a child of southern Chinese immigrants, I also believed this program would help me understand some of my cultural roots and a great opportunity to immerse myself in the culture while practicing Mandarin. I was interested in how the Chinese language shapes social norms and beliefs, its relation to the diaspora communities, and how these Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:31:23 -0400 Erica Zhang 654 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/defne-suyabatmaz-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Defne. I am a second-year student at 麻豆社 studying Political Science and East Asian Studies. I have a particular interest in learning about different cultures, learning new languages, and travelling. Since I started learning Mandarin four years ago, China has been at the top of my travel destinations list. When I heard about the Li Ka Shing initiative program, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity for me to not only improve my Mandarin skills but also to learn about Chinese culture. This trip proved to me that no matter how much we read about the history or culture of a Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:17:14 -0400 Defne Suyabatmaz 653 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/claire-missoum-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E As a U2 Linguistics major, the idea of language acquisition through immersion is fascinating to me. During my time at Shantou University, I had the privilege of experiencing this phenomenon first hand. Prior to the trip, I decided my goal for this program was to make my brain a constant Mandarin classroom. Every single day, whether we had classes or not, I was forced to speak, read, or at the very least, comprehend Mandarin. This big change was frustrating at first, as I had just finished the Elementary Chinese class at 麻豆社, and my Mandarin was not very strong. I noticed though, that over Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:03:03 -0400 Claire Missoum 651 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/akassia-molina-icl-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Akassia Molina, and I am an international student at 麻豆社, double majoring in Urban Studies and Economics with a minor in Mandarin. I am passionate about economic development, urban planning, and language acquisition. This year, I was honoured to return to the immersive Mandarin program at Shantou University in Guangdong, China. My primary goals for the trip were to strengthen my fluency—especially in spoken conversation—and to build meaningful connections with my peers and tutors. Compared to last year, another year of Mandarin coursework under my belt allowed me to Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:02:04 -0400 Akassia Molina 652