Benjamin Fong

Man in white shirt.

Graduate Student in Comparative Literature
Associate in Comparative Literature

he/him/his
824 Sproul Hall
Office Hours
Fall 25: M 4:10pm-5:10pm; W 4:10pm-5:10pm

Ben Ruilin Fong is a PhD Candidate in Comparative Literature with a DE in Critical Theory at UC Davis. He received his BA in East Asian Studies and English from Brandeis and his MSt in English Literature (1550-1700) from Oxford. His dissertation argues modern "Chinese picture cultures" spans illustrated fiction, lianhuanhua, and film. His research reconsiders how pictures are adapted, appropriated, and circulated for domestic and Sino American audiences. Ben is a Mellon Public Scholar. His work is published in the Journal of Chinese Film Studies and Arts.

Education and Degree(s)
  • PhD in Comparative Literature [Chinese, English]; Designated Emphasis in Critical Theory, Science and Technology Studies, UC Davis 2020-present [In progress]
  • MSt in English Literature (1550-1700), Oxford University (2019)
  • BA in English, East Asian Studies, Brandeis University (2018)
Honors and Awards
  • 2023-2025 President, UC Davis Graduate Student Association (GSA)
  • 2023-2025 Council of Presidents, University of California
  • 2023-2024 Vice Chancellor Cabinet of Student Leaders, UC Davis
  • 2023-2024 Professor for the Future Program, "Academic Accommodations as a Graduate Instructor (AI/TA)," UC Davis
  • 2023 School of Criticism and Theory, Cornell
  • 2023 Member, “The Oldest Chinese American Restaurant Project.” Video. Article from The Guardian, Gabriel Chin, Symbols of Survival
  • 2022 Mellon Public Scholars Program, 'Home Style Cooking: The Davis Chinese Cookbook Collection', SF Chinatown
  • 2022-2023 Aggies Near and Far Program
  • 2020-22 Chancellors Graduate and Professional Student Advisory Board (CGPSA)
  • 2020-22 UC Davis Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship
Courses
  • Com 002 “Early Modern Adaptations,” Com 003 “Modern Sinophone Literature and Film,” Com 004 “Sino-American Literature and Film,” Chn 10 “Contemporary Chinese Fiction,” Chn 101 “Chinese Film,” Chn 104 “Modern Chinese Fiction”
Research Interests & Expertise
  • Chinese language film, media studies, co-productions, visual culture, book history, print culture, publishing history
Publications
  • Lu, Sheldon, Fong, Benjamin Ruilin ed. Chinese Cinema in the 21st Century: Industry, Culture, and Form. In-progress
  • Fong, Benjamin Ruilin. “Chinese American Exportation: Constructing Sino-American Identity in Sino-US Animated Co-productions.” in Journal of Chinese Film Studies (2025) https://doi.org/10.1515/jcfs-2025-0010
  • Fong, Benjamin Ruilin. “Learning to Speak Chinese: Expanding the Chinese-language Film Paradigm to Sino-American Films.” Arts 13 (2024) https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13010018
  • Fong, Benjamin Ruilin. “Ang Lee” in Chiang, Howard, and Groppe, Alison ed., Routledge Encyclopedia of Sinophone Culture. Forthcoming
  • Fong, Benjamin Ruilin, Lu, Sheldon. “Michelle Yeoh” in Chiang, Howard, and Groppe, Alison ed., Routledge Encyclopedia of Sinophone Culture. Forthcoming.
  • Fong, Benjamin Ruilin, Lu, Sheldon. “Chow Yun-fat” in Chiang, Howard, and Groppe ed., Alison, Routledge Encyclopedia of Sinophone Culture. Forthcoming.