Jun 26, 2026 · 29 min · 11 segments
Between facial recognition and AI-generated faces, what is special about facial technologies in China ? And what is the future of faces in China? This episode explores the cultural and political…
Margaret HillenbrandGuestXuannan TaoGuest
Emma BelmonteHost
I'm your host, Emma Belmonte, and I am feeling extra excited about this episode since I am welcoming my favorite lecturer from when I was a master's student, Margaret Hillenbrand.
Margaret, you're a professor of modern Chinese literature and visual culture at the University of Oxford.
You have recently completed a new book called Facescapes, which explores the cultural politics of the face in Chinese visual culture during the era of biometric surveillance, cosmetic surgery, pandemic and masked protests.
We're also joined today by Xuannan Tao, who is a professor at San Francisco Bay University.
Sianan, your latest book, Chinese Media Improvisations, will be published this August by Stanford University Press.
I'm your host, Emma Belmonte, and I am feeling extra excited about this episode since I am welcoming my favorite lecturer from when I was a master's student, Margaret Hillenbrand.
Margaret, you're a professor of modern Chinese literature and visual culture at the University of Oxford.
You have recently completed a new book called Facescapes, which explores the cultural politics of the face in Chinese visual culture during the era of biometric surveillance, cosmetic surgery, pandemic and masked protests.
We're also joined today by Xuannan Tao, who is a professor at San Francisco Bay University.
Sianan, your latest book, Chinese Media Improvisations, will be published this August by Stanford University Press.
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