The research undertaken in Chinese Studies in our School encompasses modern social and cultural history, gender and sexuality, modern and contemporary literatures and cultures (including the larger sinosphere), media studies (film, television and the internet), and contemporary art in China/Asia. The study of contemporary Chinese art is especially aided by the close collaboration between researchers in Chinese Studies and regional art galleries in Manchester and the northwest. Opportunities for the study of earlier periods of Chinese history and culture are made particularly rich by the holdings of The University of Manchester Library, the third largest academic library in the UK; the John Ryland's Library holdings are a unique collection of late imperial and early modern texts, art and objects that provide fecund ground for further research. Chinese Studies also runs a regular research seminar series in East Asian Studies wherein postgraduate students contribute significantly to the running and content of both.