Chenyu Yan (严辰予) is a PhD student in East Asian Studies, focusing on Cultural Studies and Popular Culture in China. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Applied English from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, she completed her master’s degree in Culture and Society at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Her master’s dissertation focused on a Chinese musical theatre in Shanghai, China, with the aim of elaborating on the affective dynamics among fans, actors, and producers under the censorship of studio musical theatres in Shanghai. Her research interests include Cultural Studies, Media Studies, and Feminist Studies, with a particular emphasis on fandoms and fanfic writing in mainland China. She is also interested in the study of children and youth in education in contemporary China. In everyday life, she enjoys reading, creative writing, and attending plays at the theatre as ways of recognizing and discovering herself.