Wei-Ting Hsiao at IAMCR2024
Wei-Ting Hsiao from the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University, China, was awarded a travel grant to present two papers to the Visual Culture Working Group at IAMCR 2024: Exploration of Meta-story Conception and Activation in Chinese Cinema and Exploring the Reconstruction of Social Relations in the Era of "Selfie" Imagery: A Case Study of the Vertical Documentary Film 'This is Life'.
In this article, she reflects on her long-awaited experience of participating in an IAMCR conference in person.
“Although the weather in Christchurch, New Zealand, is quite cold, the presence of people from around the world attending the IAMCR conference has made this place feel warm and welcoming.
I am so grateful to have received the travel grant, which allowed me to attend this conference with ease. Since 2020, I have been trying to submit an abstract to IAMCR, and this year I received an invitation from Section Chair Denize to publish my article in the dossier she was involved in. In 2022, due to COVID-19, I was only able to attend the conference online, which was very unfortunate.
Finally, in 2024, I gathered the courage to submit two abstracts, and both were fortunately accepted. During this conference, I happened to meet my university teacher, whom I hadn't seen for years, and we discussed future academic development plans. It was such a nice and warm feeling. At the conference dinner, I had the honour of dining with scholar Graham Murdock and his wife, listening to many of their life stories and experiences, and hearing about their unwavering commitment to academia.
I also met many scholars with similar research interests at various VIC Section panels. We toured the Christchurch Art Gallery together, learning about local Maori culture and truly experiencing the charm and dissemination of "Visual Culture." As the opening speech highlighted, the theme of this conference is "Weaving People Together." Although time flies, I look forward to more opportunities in the future to communicate with scholars from different countries and regions.
During the travel grant lunch-meeting, I was deeply moved by Nico and Elske's words. The travel grants help young scholars to develop and exchange ideas, thus ensuring the continuity of academic pursuits. This hope needs to be continually passed on, providing opportunities for generations of young people. I aspire to one day become a force that supports young scholars, and provides a channel for diverse voices to be heard”.
Wei-Ting Hsiao
School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University