From sociology to SEGA: How the University of Melbourne shaped a world view

Chinese-born Zihui Xu straddles three cultures seamlessly – growing up in Wuhan in central China, she studied at the University of Melbourne and now lives in Tokyo working as an IP licensing manager for SEGA, a Japanese video game company. She plays electric bass guitar in a band in her spare time.

Zihui cites a transformative moment eight years ago in a tutorial room at the University’s Parkville campus as having set her on this global path. Coming straight from high school in China, her world view shifted during her very first tutorial in her sociology major for her Bachelor of Arts. Her classmates and tutor were discussing advertisements in the media that showed how women’s power was undermined by men.

“I found the discussion mind-blowing,” Zihui says. “I had never heard of the concept of ‘patriarchy’.

“From that point onwards, I started questioning societal structure around me, everything that I had taken for granted. China can be very patriarchal, yet I had never seen it that way until that moment. Once you see, you cannot unsee.”

Zihui had a strong feminine role model in her life – her mother. “In China, everyone thinks that the humanities is not practical,” she says. “It won’t get you a job. ‘Do engineering, medicine or economics,’ they say. But my Mum knew me and encouraged me to follow my heart to study sociology and the humanities.”

Zihui’s undergraduate years were a mix of rigorous study and city exploration. She and her friends, who came from Chinese, Japanese and Korean backgrounds, spent much of their time at the Baillieu Library, Australia’s first purpose-built university library with an iconic spiral staircase.

“We sometimes even stayed there all night finishing our assignments, falling asleep at our desks,” she says. “We felt it was our special meeting place.”

When Zhui and her friends weren’t studying, they spent time exploring Melbourne’s famous laneways and neighbourhoods, scouting out inexpensive Asian restaurants and good coffee. “Before I came to Australia, when you said ‘coffee’ I thought Starbucks, but after living in Melbourne, I realised there is so much delicious coffee to choose from.”

She loved this cultural immersion and planned many adventures for her final year of study.