On 12th November 2024, Dr Yan Wu spoke at the launch of the Chinese in Wales Association’s (CIWA) Our Stories display at St Fagans National Museum of History. As part of her AHRC Impact Acceleration Account project, Yan provided consultancy on the digital storytelling of ethnic Chinese in Wales. She supported CIWA team in designing the project ethics documentation and interview questionnaire. During the production phase, she worked closely with the employed production company, project manager, and community members, offering periodic progress reviews and feedback to refine the project’s direction.
Below is Yan’s speech at the launch event.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Yan Wu, and I’m an Associate Professor from Swansea University. I’m honoured to be here as a researcher working closely with Chinese in Wales Association’s in supporting the delivery of the digital story telling project.
The past few months has been particularly rewarding. Our community members’ life stories, their wisdom and perspectives continue to amaze me. Their stories and lived experiences also enrich my research, inspiring me to expand my work through two additional projects in this field.
For me, working with CIWA is not just a personal interest. I strongly believe that this form of participatory research fosters an environment where often marginalized individuals felt safe and empowered to share their narratives. This mutual exchange of knowledge allowed researchers to learn from the community while contributing academic tools and methodologies supporting their empowerment. Community-based research can bridge cultural divides and bring to light shared human experiences. It is a great honour for me to be here, I thank CIWA, Lottery Fund and the St Fagan National Museum and other stakeholder to give this me this opportunity to engage with you for meaningful, and impactful work that brings positive changes to Wales.
One of Swansea University’s five Civic Mission priorities is to highlight the positive contributions of our staff and students within the community and to foster more opportunities for communities to engage directly. Our Stories digital storytelling project embodies this vision. By bringing academia and the community together, we create spaces for lifelong, inclusive, and equitable learning, and we, as a university, are enriched by these expanded connections.
Chinese in Wales Association’s completed digital stories are now available to watch at the People’s Collection Wales (https://www.peoplescollection.wales/discover/query/Chinese%20in%20Wales%20A)
Yan provided evaluation of the project in this short film