Hui Wen

Hui Wen is a Writing Fellow in the research group “Ageing in a Time of Mobility” led by Dr. Megha Amrith. She is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Brandeis University, located in the greater Boston area. Her research interests include ageing, care, value theory, kinship, social transformation, mobility, and the cultural landscape of China and beyond. Having recently completed eighteen months of dissertation fieldwork in China, she is now engaged in dissertation writing and article publication.

Wen’s ongoing research on the health supplements market targeting seniors in China has garnered funding from several channels, including from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, the Mandel Center for the Humanities at Brandeis University, and Brandeis University Provost Dissertation Award. Outside of her professional life, Hui enjoys cycling, hiking, climbing, and swimming—all things close to nature!

Hui Wen’s doctoral dissertation research project delves into the role of Chinese senior urbanites within the health supplements market amidst social transformations. As traditional family support diminishes and state eldercare proves insufficient, many Chinese seniors are seeking autonomy in self-care, pursuing not just ways to improve their health, but also a sense of social belonging and a reaffirmation of their value through supplements consumptions. In a world no longer meant for them, senior urbanites navigate the chaotic health supplements market in search of products to manage their chronic conditions, while also seeking new ways to reconnect with the world around them.

The project critically examines the intricate dynamics between salespeople and senior customers within the so-called “gray market” of supplements, emphasizing the complex dual relationship between care and scam. It contributes to discussions on ageing, care, alternative medicine, and social (im)mobility during drastic social transformation.

Based on ethnographic methodology involving participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and archival research, this project explores experiences of growing old, forms of self-care, and the human drive to create meaningful lives in a rapidly ageing society.