The Magpie Kingdom team wields a unique combination of deep local knowledge and global perspective on China, cutting across consumer-facing technology, and social behavior. We are based in New York and Shanghai.
Christina Xu is an ethnographer who observes and writes about the social interactions and organic communities that form around technology and subculture, especially in the US and China. She holds an A.B. with a concentration in History of Science from Harvard University, and is currently faculty at School of Visual Arts’ MFA in Interaction Design program. She has conducted exploratory research projects about consumers and their communities for clients including Apple, GE, and Daimler Chrysler. More about Christina on her website.
Dr. Tricia Wang is a global tech ethnographer living at the intersection of data, design, and marketing. She has spent 20 plus years researching the social evolution of the Chinese internet and advising companies on how to engage with Chinese millennials. Tricia’s work with Fortune 500 companies and her fieldwork research in China from living in internet cafes to researching social media have been featured in Techcrunch, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, Slate, Wired, The Guardian and Fast Company. She was the first Western scholar to work at China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China’s equivalent to the USA’s FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Organizations she’s worked with include P&G, IDEO, Kickstarter, NASA, Spotify, and GE. More about Tricia on her website.
Pheona Chen is a researcher, investor, and fan based between Shanghai and Beijing. Armed with 7 different Weibo accounts, she observes post-90's Chinese pop culture, online subculture, and changing behaviors around consumption. Currently investing in entertainment startups at Autobot VC, Pheona previously researched fan culture and consumer behavior for clients such as Tencent, Coca-Cola, and L'Oreal at China Youthology. She has a degree in information science from Wuhan University.