History

Throughout its history, the Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture (JCLC)has been one of the two dedicated academic journals published by the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya. The department remains one of the few distinctive global centres for teaching, learning, research, and innovation in Sinology and Chinese studies.
During the 2010s, the journal published significant scholarship on language policy and nation-building, translation studies, and the relationship between the government and traditional Chinese “old-brand” enterprises. Its scope was further expanded to include the economics, religion, and education of the Chinese diaspora. Notable contributions examined the development of Malaysian Chinese Buddhism, the economic transformation of the Foochow community in Sibu, evolving management models in Malaysian Chinese family businesses, and contestations of identity within Malaysian Chinese education.
From the late 2010s into the 2020s, the journal continued to document regional history and cultural developments, featuring widely cited studies on the influence of alternative media on Malaysian Chinese society, post-Malaysian Chinese-language cinema, the history of the Cantonese community in the Klang Valley (1860–1941), and the organization of Malaysian Buddhist colleges and institutes.
Historically and at present, the journal is based in the Department of Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya. It is supported by an extensive International Advisory Board comprising scholars from institutions across Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States.