Introduction

First elaborated by Charles Baudelaire and later receiving broader academic attention through Walter Benjamin’s writings in the early 20th century, the flâneur has long been an archetypal figure of modern life in literary discussion. As female empowerment advances and modernity globalizes towards the 21st century, scholars study flânerie with feminist perspectives, pointing out the limited presence of women in the discourse of flânerie since the concept’s inception, as well as beyond the geographical periphery, examining how flânerie has both continued and transformed in the urbanizing metropolises outside of the West, including those in East Asia. This study intends to extend this academic discussion to the contexts of women in 21st-century China through cultural analysis of Lou Ye’s cinematic works with a focus on the female characters by applying the conceptual framework of flânerie.

If interested, you may read Feifei’s Dissertation here.

Experience at MALCS

The MALCS programme was an enlightening and inspiring journey beyond my expectation. During the two years I was allowed to immerse in my honest passion and curiosity about the world and myself through dialogues with scholars in the field as well as selected readings by the great thinkers of the past. The capstone experience in particular was challenging yet fulfilling. Under the guidance of my supervisor and mentor, I was provided with the sufficient skills, resources and confidence to shape the direction of my research and complete the dissertation.