Moments·片刻

This episode, we start with  The Early Spring . One drama, two people, a handful of glances that say more than words — why do we fall so easily for a "CP"? Is the story just too sweet, or are we fishing for our own unmet longings in someone else's romance? From there, we trace the shifts and constants in Chinese idol dramas over the years: from the domineering CEO to the mutual pursu...

In an era dominated by utilitarian drive and career anxiety, humanities education in higher education seems to be facing an unprecedented crisis. In this episode, we sit down with Dr Changgeng Yuan to discuss the realistic pressures within academia and the quiet struggles of modern students. Beyond the systemic anxieties and the recurring skepticism over the "practical utility" of the ar...

Dr Pengyun Lu's research focuses on a group that is reshaping contemporary culture—content creators on Chinese social media. He examines how these creators perform, produce, and navigate the complex ecosystem of platforms, algorithms, and audiences. Over four years of doctoral study at Warwick, he developed a research framework that bridges cultural studies, digital labour, and creative indust...

In a university where the language is science, what does a course in performance studies actually teach you? For our guest, Xinyu Cui — a ShanghaiTech student majoring in a computer science — the answer was more than he bargained for. In this episode of  Moments , we talk about the jolt of moving from the controlled environment of a lab to the unpredictable space of a rehearsal room. She shares sp...

In this episode, we've invited a special "adventurer"—Dr Hongqing Hao, who has journeyed all the way from a UK high school to completing his Ph. D. Across the many years of study abroad, he has witnessed the seasons change in a foreign land and experienced the full spectrum of emotions, from confusion to clarity. In these uncertain times, pursuing a PhD feels more like a gamble. In t...

Marko Stojanović is a theatre and television actor, comedian, mime artist, director, and co-founder and president of the World Mime Organization. Though trained under the legendary mime master Marcel Marceau, he went on to found the Serbian National Curling Federation. Though he taught university theatre for two decades, he continues to “torture himself” with doctoral studies. Having witnessed the...

Michael Scott is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International affairs and a Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. Over the past years, he has actively pursued partnerships with Chinese universities, launching multiple international initiatives and establishing a series of scholarship programmes to strengthen UK‑China higher education exchange. In this episode, Michael wi...

Yue Su holds a PhD in Film & Television Studies from the University of Warwick, specialising in cinematic kinship, East Asian cinema, world cinema, and queer cinema. In this episode, Yue Su and the host shared their respective top-three film lists, which led to a conversation about traditional romantic narratives and the subtle shifts in how contemporary love stories are told through cinema. H...

In the final episode of the 2025  Moments  ·片刻 podcast, Dr. Hao Xie from the University of Warwick’s Centre for Media and Cultural Policy Studies interviews Shuangshuang Cai. In this reflective conversation, Shuangshuang shares her journey as a cultural and creative entrepreneur and reveals how pursuing higher education has unlocked new creative energy and professional momentum for her. Note: th...

Prof. Steve Fuller is Professor of Sociology at Warwick University, UK. He has written extensively on politics and social theory and the sociology of science. He has spoken in 30 countries, often keynoting professional academic conferences, and has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts since 1995. His writings have been translated into over twenty languages. In this episode, Steve shares his...

Dr Robert O'Toole leads the Digital Arts and Humanities Lab (DAHL) and has created a framework for the integration of technology into arts, humanities, and design at the University of Warwick. Robert is currently running We Are FAB People, An Earful of DAHL and Museum Explorations podcasts, continuously engaging in dialogue with creative people to spark inspiration. In this episode, Robert dis...

Harry Mackrill was Associate Director of Kiln Theatre 2018 – 2019, and Resident Director of the Tricycle Theatre 2013 – 2015. Harry trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.   Theatre includes: FABULATIONS (Conway Hall/Leicester Curve/Key Theatre Peterborough); WHAT IT MEANS (The Lot); WORLD’S END, BOY WITH BEER (King’s Head Theatre); LET KILBURN SHAKE (Kiln Theatre)  Fi...

Xiwei Ma recently won the Best Individual Performance Award at the Young Artists Competition of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival. Based in Shanghai, she works not only as an actor but also as a practitioner of art therapy and drama education within international schools. In this podcast episode, Xiwei discusses her immersive experience of creating and staging productions for the festival. She also refl...

Dr. Jonathan Vickery is a Reader in the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies at the University of Warwick. His primary research areas are cultural politics and the public sphere. He has made significant contributions to the field of public art. He was the co-director of the Shanghai City Lab project (2013-15); Chair of the Art of Management and Organization Ltd (2014-2017); and a member of...

Mark Evans trained originally at the École Jacques Lecoq, and with Philippe Gaulier and Monika Pagneux, in Paris. since 2012, he has held a personal chair as Professor of Theatre Training and Education, and until August 2019 was Associate Dean (Student Experience) in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.  His research interests are in the movement training of actors and performers, the history and p...

Dr. Lin Zheng is a senior lecturer in Education and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth, UK. Her research in international education, intercultural communication, and management informs an interdisciplinary approach to both her teaching and scholarship. In this podcast, Dr. Lin Zheng reflects on two decades of experience studying, working, and living in the UK. She advises young people nav...

Professor Jonothan Neelands is a National Teaching Fellow, Professor of Creative Education at the Warwick Business School (WBS) and Chair of Drama and Theatre Education at the University of Warwick.  He is interested in developing a future-oriented and problem based pedagogy for business education and training with an emphasis on ethical and inclusive models of leadership. Jonathan has dedicated h...

Dr Gareth White has been at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama since 2004, in the main teaching on Drama, Applied Theatre and Education. Gareth's teaching and research overlap in his focus on collaborative creative processes and participatory practices. In this episode, Gareth shares with us mainly about the aesthetics of participatory theatre, audience participation in immersive theat...

Natalie Diddams is an Assistant Professor within the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures at the University of Warwick. She is an arts-based practitioner and researcher with a particular interest in socially-engaged and participatory theatre.  Through her research, Natalie has become a leading voice on the intersection between comedy, gender and contemporary politics, and regul...

Peter O’Brien, who has been performing on stage since childhood, left the UK after graduating from university to pursue a challenging career in the media industry in Paris, France. He is currently employed by France 24⁠. He applies the energy and methods he gained from theatre to his work as a journalist, conveying messages from around the world in a cross-cultural context. In this episode, we gai...

Steven Lim is currently doing ⁠a PhD in English Studies in Waseda University. Over the past two decades in Japan, he has remained committed to teaching English, discovering along the way his passion for educational practice and research. In this episode, he shares that he has studied Japanese, developed an appreciation for Japanese anime, and incorporates British culture into his lessons. Navigati...

Rachel Dickinson, Principal Teaching Fellow in WBS Create, has developed a module, named CORE (Creative, Organized, Reflective, Enterprising) Practice. Rachel says: 'This is a chance for students to challenge existing behaviours, explore, reflect and act on who you want to be. Developing soft skills sought by employees today can help grow soft power in the future. The more you know about yourself,...

P.M. has long been engaged in humanities-related research, and has teaching experience in many colleges and universities in China and the United States. She believes that Chinese students should explore some seemingly ‘useless’ things, whether it is creative writing, or other things, which are important components of the richness and diversity of our lives, rather than being confined by a single e...

As an actor, Ding Ma, has so far appeared in more than dozens of film and television drama works. Among them, the role of Xue Niang in ‘Zhi Fou’ has opened up her national recognition in China. At the same time, she is also a screenwriter, director and producer. Yet, she has gained more than 70,000 fans so far by sharing her real life as a Hengdian drifter filming in Hengdian and bringing up her c...

Two graduates from ShanghaiTech University, Yuxiao Wu and Yang Zhang, on behalf of the 2025 ‘Introduction of the Performance Studies’ course, share in this episode how they have seen the boundaries of theatre and performance being pushed through in the course. At the same time, they also expressed that the ability to work together in a group, the ability to break the traditional thinking pattern i...