Research Student Spotlight July 2026: Guoyu Cheng
Welcome to our monthly spotlight on the work and lives of the next generation of water@leeds researchers.
This month's spotlight is: Guoyu Cheng
PhD title: From Nature to Resource: Glocal Cultural-motivated Consumption of Red Coral in the Chinese Market
Based in School of Geography, Faculty of Earth, Environment and Sustainability with supervisors: Dr Radhika Borde, Dr Asa Roast, Prof Gordon Mitchell
Tell us a bit about yourself:
Having grown up in China, I developed an early interest in the relationships between people and nature, especially how cultural traditions, political processes, and environmental governance shape interactions with the natural environment. Before coming to the University of Leeds, I completed both my undergraduate degree and a research-based master’s degree in Human Geography at South China Normal University. During the studies, I became increasingly interested in cultural geography and political geography, particularly in relation to marine spaces, resource governance, and the cultural politics of nature. My earlier research focused on the South China Sea, where I became interested in how marine environments are shaped not only by ecology, but also by geopolitics, cultural meanings, and competing forms of resource governance. These interests gradually led me towards broader questions about wildlife conservation, environmental governance, and the transformation of natural materials into valuable commodities within global markets.
Why did you choose University of Leeds?
I chose the University of Leeds because of its strong academic reputation in human geography and conservation research. I was especially attracted by the interdisciplinary research environment within the School of Geography and the opportunity to work with supervisors whose research interests closely align with my own. The University of Leeds also provides an excellent environment and support for developing international and fieldwork-based research, which allowed me to connect my interests in marine conservation, wildlife trade, and cultural politics across different geographical contexts. In addition, the University’s global research perspective and supportive academic community made the University of Leeds an ideal place for me to pursue research that combines cultural geography, political geography, wildlife conservation and environmental issues across local to global scales.
What is your research about?
China is the biggest consumer of red coral and motivates red coral harvesting and global trade in the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean by surrounding countries such as Italy and Japan, because of the high cultural value of modernity, aesthetics and religion in the Chinese context. My project investigates how red coral become increasing commodified marine resource due to the influence of Chinese culture and coral trade management, which is embedded in the global commercial chain. This research adopts an interdisciplinary approach that integrates critical resource geography with qualitative methods, including fieldwork, policy content analysis and interviews with key stakeholders such as merchants, consumers, policymakers, and non-governmental organisations.
What did you wish you knew before starting a PhD?
Before starting my PhD, I wish I had known that research does not always progress in a straight line. Some of the most valuable ideas often emerge through uncertainty, unexpected fieldwork experiences, and ongoing conversations with people from different backgrounds.