Meng Fanhang
Professor
Fanhang Meng currently serves as a dual-appointed professor at the School of Future Design and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing Normal University. He also holds the positions of executive officer and chief specialist at the Guangdong Lingnan Culture Research Base (Beijing Normal University).
Previously, he was a professor at the School of Art at Southeast University, director of the Institute of Art Anthropology and Sociology, and assistant director as well as researcher at the Chinese National Visual Identity Research Base (a national-level think tank) at the university. He also served as secretary-general of the Chinese Society for Anthropology of Art.
Meng’s research primarily focuses on foundational theories in the anthropology of art and intangible cultural heritage, including investigations into villagers’action logics and the ideological dimensions of handicrafts from the perspective of material culture studies. In recent years, he has turned toward the methodology of the ethnography of artand has explored, from the standpoint of the humanities andarts, how to uphold human subjectivity and agency in the age of artificial intelligence.
Principal Talent Programs and Honors:
· National Key Talent Project Young Scholars 2024
· Social Science Young Talent Award of Jiangsu Province 2020
· Outstanding Teacher Award of Zhuhai City 2025
Principal Academic Affiliations:
· Vice president, China Society For Anthropology of Arts 2024 –
· Deputy director, Art and Society Research Committee of the China Society For Anthropology of Arts 2022 –
· Researcher, Chinese National Visual Identity Research Base (a national-level think tank) at Southeast University 2022 –
· Peer reviewer, National Social Science Foundation of China 2022 –
· Evaluation expert, Comprehensive Evaluation Report of Chinese Journals of Humanities and Social Sciences (AMI) 2022 –
· Reviewer, Planning Projects and Outstanding Achievement Awards in Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangdong Province 2022 –
Representative Awards and Academic Impact:
· The book titled The Material Represen tations behind Villagers 'Practice: The Space-time Structure, Everyday Life and Cultural Heritages of a Community in Rural Central Shaanxi Plain (1930–2010) received the Youth Achievement Award in the 9th Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Awards (Humanities and Social Sciences) by Ministry of Education of China.
· Selected as a“2024 CNKI Highly Cited Scholar TOP 1%”.
Representative Books:
· The Material Represen tations behind Villagers ’ Practice : The Space-time Structure, Everyday Life and Cultural Heritages of a Community in Rural Central Shaanxi Plain (1930–2010) , Southeast University Press, 2019.
This work was selected for the “Southeast University Academic Library” series.
· Implements: Technology and Everyday Life: A Case Study on the Miao Nationality Culture in Suojia Town, Liuzhi Special Zone, Guizhou Province , China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Press, 2015.
This book was selected for the“Library of China Arts”series.
Representative Journal Articles:
· Meng F. 2025. "He yi wei sheng: Rengongzhineng shidai shougongyi de cunzailun"[What Keeps Us Alive: The Ontology of Handicrafts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence]. National Arts 5: 21-34.
· Meng F. 2024. "Ecological Structure and Practical Path of Contemporary Inheritance of Chinese Traditional Arts." Ethnic Art Studies 5: 24-34.
· Meng F. 2023. "Visual Image of the Chinese Nation: Interpretation of Surrounding Concepts and Construction of Core Concepts." Guizhou Social Sciences 10: 27-34.
· Meng F. 2023. "The Ideological Resources of Handicraft and Its Reflections on Modern Life" Folklore Studies 3: 27-46.
· Meng F. 2023. "Rural Rejuvenation: Reshaping Minzu Visual Images and Consolidating Community Consciousness of the Chinese Nation." Journal of Guangxi Minzu University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 2: 83-93.
· Meng F. 2023. "Heritage, Epidemics Situation and Virtual World: Ecological Change in and Epistemological Reflection on Ethnic Arts." Journal of Guangxi Minzu University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 5: 132-140. (CSSCI)
· Meng F. 2021. "Understanding the Visual Image of the Chinese Nation Through Multiple Relationships." National Arts 1: 15-19. (CSSCI)
· Meng F. 2021. "The First Group of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance and Its Ecological Expansion." Folk Culture Forum 1: 48-51.
· Meng F. & Kang Z. 2020. "From Intervention to Integration: Exploring Pathways for Art-Based Rural Development." China Book Review 9: 8-23.
· Meng F. 2020. "Simple Theorization of Complex Practices——Critical Research on Peasant Painting." Academic Research 5: 169-176.
· Meng F. 2020. "Unpredictable Life and Traceable Academic Career: My Experience and Thinking on the Research of Anthropology of Art." National Arts 2: 5-18.
· Meng F. 2019. "The Basic Issues and New Development Direction of Anthropology of Art." Thinking 5: 43-52.
· Meng F. 2019. "The Occurrence of Aura: A New Analysis of Benjamin's Art Theory." National Arts 1: 98-108.
· Meng F. 2018. "Minju de gainian yu minjuzhi de jiben kuangjia he yanjiu lujing" [The Concept of Folk Artifacts and the Basic Framework and Research Pathways for Folk Artifact Cataloging]. Guizhou Social Sciences 11: 84-91. (CSSCI)
· Meng F. 2018. "Locality, Sense of Place and Innovation of Ethnography of Art." Thinking 1: 21-29.
· Meng F. 2018. "The Theory, Meaning and Problems of Handcraft Community: A Case Study of Fengxiang Clay Village in Shanxi Province." National Arts 2: 82-90.
· Meng F. 2017. "The Four-tier Structures of Material Relations and Material Culture." Folklore Studies 4: 50-62.
· Meng F. 2017. "Yishu de jiexian jiqi kuayue: Yi ge jiyu wu ji wuxing de tantao: Jianlun zhongguo yishu yanjiu de queceng" [The Boundaries of Art and Their Transcendence: An Exploration Based on Objects and Materiality—With a Discussion on the Missing Layer in Chinese Art Research]. National Arts 2: 101-110.
· Meng F. & Se Y. 2016. "Three-dimensional Structure and Action Practice——A New Interpretation of Fei Xiaotong's Theory of ‘Structure of Grade’." Journal of Minzu University of China (Philosophy and Social Sciences) 1: 29-36.
Representative Research Project:
· Research on the Chinese NationVisual Image andCommon Spiritual Homeland. Principal Investigator . Special Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (21VMZ019).
· Methodological Research on Chinese Ethnography of Art. Principal Investigator. General Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (24BA034).
· Research on Implements, Handicraft Heritage, and Guanzhong’s Culture. Principal Investigator . Youth Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (14CG125).
· Research on the Contemporary Practice System for Inheriting Traditional Chinese Arts (Sub-project). Principal Investigator . Research on the Contemporary Inheritance of Traditional Chinese Arts. Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (21ZD10).
· Research on the Theory and Methodology of Ethnography of Art from an Arts Studies Perspective. Principal Investigator . Major Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (2020SJZDA026).
· Research on Innovative Dissemination Mechanisms of Chinese Handicraft Intangible Cultural Heritage in Europe from the Perspective of Civilizational Mutual Learning. Participated (2/9) . General Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (25BG162).
· Research on theSacrificial Practices of the Three Sovereigns in the Yuan Dynasty from the Perspective of Ethnic Interaction, Exchange, and Integration. Participated (2/6) . Western Region Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (25XMZ070).
· Research on Public Space Memory and Cultural Transmission in Ancient Villages and Towns of Shanxi Amid Social Transformation. Co-investigator (2/6) . General Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (16BSH048).