To Yaping Sun and Hong’en Liu, who gave me the words I would need to employ to compose this dissertation and the education that equips me with what I would need to navigate today’s world, rough as it is. Without either of you my mere existence, let alone this attempt to contribute, however marginally, to the landscape of the Sociology of Education, would not have been possible. Though the trials and tribulations of my teenage years and the less-than-ideal aspects of East Asian parenthood had once strained and burdened us, I assure you that deep down I am aware that your love has never wavered. Thank you.
To my supervisor, Dr. Amit Singh, whose advice and assistance have prevented me from changing my mind and switching my topic to shadow education’s implications on K-12 education across the world, rather than focusing on China, my native land, as I have always striven to do with every essay and project regarding education. To our dissertation convenors, Andrew Balmer and Sophie Woodward, who take the time and effort to make the culminating experience of our undergraduate years as smooth as possible, and lead us to the doorsteps of real academia so that hopefully we may let ourselves in eventually. To all my instructors that have guided and supported me through my undergraduate degree in a foreign country, but I wish to thank Professor Sue Heath, Dr. Nadim Mirshak and Dr. Petra Nordqvist in particular, who provided references for my applications to graduate programs in not just Education but also Literature and Creative Writing. Thank you for writing me references for programs that may lie outside your area of expertise and for offering me unreserved support throughout my graduate application process, especially when graduate school is one of the few future endeavours that push me forward during my final undergraduate year.
To Dr. Alexus Davis, who is the first one and by far the only at this university that has seen my potential not just in sociology, but in poetry as well. You and your poems have, in a sense, singlehandedly motivated me to apply to graduate programs in creative writing. I look up to you, not only because of your poetry, not only because of your doctoral dissertation on the birthing experiences of Aboriginal women and the barriers you have had to overcome to finish it, but also because of how you manage to combine sociological research and poetic expressions in such a seamless way and inspire me to do so as well. Thank you and, as I said in that card, you are, indeed, my hero.
To the University of Manchester, which has literally been my source of warmth and light in this Northwestern English town where the sun sets at 4 p.m. in winter days. Thank you for offering such a vibrant, diverse and welcoming community that has allowed me to breathe and thrive, me who had once been labeled as “loser” in high school. You are, to an extent, why I, who tend to identify as an aspiring sociologist of education, have not yet lost faith in education systems altogether, and for that alone you deserve my utmost respect to you as my alma mater.
To Shenzhen College of International Education, my other alma mater, which offered me perhaps the most challenging environment I could have wished for back then, academically and otherwise. Had I been at any other high school I would have never had the chance to study that many A Level humanities and social science subjects, or made it to where I am this day. Thank you for that. To my Year 11 English teacher Mike Dawick, who taught me how to write like a writer and never to fail my readers; whenever I employ the mindset of Shakespeare creating another masterpiece when writing any piece of text, including but not limited to this dissertation, all credits belong to you. To my Year 11 and 12 Sociology teacher Richard Driscoll, who introduced the discipline of Sociology to me before I even decided to pursue it as my undergraduate major; thank you for your encouragement and compassion that allowed me to find my pace after long struggles with mental health issues. To Karen Clancy, Lirui Deng, James Fish, Lisa Haitana, Chunde Liang, Aaron Owen, Stuart Robinson, and all other teachers who made my teenage years much less difficult than they could have been. Thank you all.
To Kaijing Chen, who has acted as my mentor and friend since we met in 2012 and offers precious insights into shadow education and international education from an insider’s perspective, which is paramount to my views and research. Thank you for your constant companionship and for paving my way for the past twelve years (and still counting). To Mengbo Guan and Yichen Guo, who prove to me that friendship is not out of reach even for those with Asperger’s. Thank you for rooting me along the way and for knowing how tough the process has been while most others only care about the results. To everyone else who has appeared in my life as a friend and has at least trodden a portion of their journey alongside me. Thank you for that.
In loving memory of Shuimu Liu. I was fortunate enough to have known you during my days stuck in the deepest trenches of shadow education; you had effectively functioned as a tiny light bulb in an otherwise dark room. While I may not have yet lived up to the highest expectations you held for me, back then, I am certain that you would definitely be proud of me were you still here, and this thought keeps me going.
And last but not least, to myself for making it this far. Thank you.
