On January 23, 2021, Dr. Yupei Zhao of the College of Media and International Culture shared her perspectives with the Cambridge Association for Political Economy of China. Dr. Zhao was invited to give a keynote speech on “Umbrella platform of Tencent eSports industry in China: Platformization of infrastructures and infrastructuralization of platforms”. The Cambridge Association for Political Economy of China focuses on China’s political economy by providing a platform not only for scholars from Cambridge University but also for those from all around the world to share their academic experiences and perspectives.

ABOUT THE TALK:

China has embarked on a radical transformation of its online and mobile gaming industry since its government announced its goal to become a global sporting power. In this talk, Dr. Yupei Zhao investigated Chinese electronic sports (eSports) in the context of platform governance and platform capitalism through a case study of the platformization of Tencent, one of China’s largest media conglomerates.

Dr. Zhao proposed that the Chinese eSports industry has an umbrella-like structure. Her research shows that professionals in the gaming industry invite funding bodies to work jointly with the government to develop alternatives for the eSports industry. Meanwhile, her research also demonstrates how Tencent utilizes its expansion on capital fluidity and data-driven multidimensionality to progress toward an ecosystem of platform dependency, organizational homogenization and deep power asymmetries.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Yupei Zhao (PhD from the University of Leicester, UK) is a Young Professor of the Hundred Talents Program and a doctorial tutor at the College of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University. She is currently the vice chair-elect of the International Communication Association’s Popular Media and Culture Division and the co-founder of the UK-China Media and Communication Association.

Her research interests include mixed-methods for the examination of digital culture and politics, political communication, neo-globalization communication, intracultural communication, cultural diplomacy and social media.