Transnational connections and barriers in DH: a UK-Chinese case study

This report presents the findings of a comparative study of the digital humanities
landscapes in the UK and China, based on a literature review and 45 in-depth interviews
with academics, funders, policymakers, and professionals across the cultural and
technological sectors. It offers the first large-scale, qualitative cross-national comparison
of DH in these two countries and explores how cultural, institutional, and infrastructural
contexts shape digital scholarship in the humanities.

The research identifies both shared challenges and divergent trajectories in DH
development. While the UK has a longer tradition of DH institutionalisation—rooted in
academic departments, project-based innovation, and integration with cultural heritage
institutions—China’s DH field has grown rapidly in recent years, influenced by national
strategies, infrastructural ambitions, and an increasingly interdisciplinary academic
environment.