Our Students
A.J. Fraser
Undergrad School / Major: Cornell University
Hometown: Bay Area
A.J.'s research interests are the conceptualization and evolution of Japanese Zen soteriological thought, Buddhist philosophy, Japanese Buddhist hermeneutics, and philosophy of religion.
Andrea Li
Undergrad School / Major: Double Major in Chinese Studies B.A. and Comparative Literature B.A. at UCLA
Hometown: Boston, MA
Andrea's undergraduate research focused on Ming Dynasty vernacular fiction, print culture, and popular religion. In her Master's studies, she plans to continue studying manuscript culture and literature and develop experience in curation and conservation. She is also interested in studying the spread of Buddhism in premodern China, as well as the Silk Roads.
Bailey Hightower
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Theatre and East Asian Literature and Cultures - Chinese Literature, Smith College
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Bailey explores the vibrant world of early modern Chinese drama—including zaju, kunqu, and jingju—as well as related literary forms. She is fascinated by how these dramatic forms contextualize questions of cultural identity, social order, and gender, and uses them to better understand the histories and communities that produced them.
Earl Park
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Critical Theory and Social Justice, Occidental College; M.S. in Education, Johns Hopkins University
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Earl is interested in diving into the public history of modern Korean, the Korean diaspora, and Zainichi Koreans.
Haroon Farooqui
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Japanese Language & Literature, University of Virginia
Haroon's research interests are in premodern Japanese literature, particularly relationships and lines of influence between literary Sinitic and vernacular texts during the mid- to late-Heian period. Other interests include the challenging of typical gender associations within literary forms and the reception of premodern texts in the medieval and modern periods.
Jianing Li
Undergrad School / Major: UC Santa Barbara; Asian Studies, Political Science
Hometown: Beijing
"My research sits at the intersection of Sinophone and Queer studies, with a focus on modern and contemporary Taiwanese literature, film, and pop culture. I examine how cultural productions across the Sinophone spaces navigate questions of identity, belonging, and resistance. I am particularly interested in the role of new media and digital platforms in redefining cultural transmission and community formation. Ultimately, my work seeks to answer the foundational questions that drew me to this field: what defines “home,” and how is a sense of belonging constructed?"
Jiayi Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: Brandeis University, BA in Philosophy, Psychology, International and Global Studies
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Jiayi's research interests include but are not limited to Chinese film and literature, cognition and culture, intellectual history of modern China, computational content analysis, and Cognitive Sociology.
Jingyan Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Linguistics and Comparative Literature, UC Santa Barbara
Hometown: Dongguan, Guangdong, China
Jingyan's research interests lie in Chinese literature, trauma studies, memory studies, and Linguistics.
Liang Qiao
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Art History with minors in Digital Humanities and Asian Languages, UCLA
Liang's research focuses on Buddhist studies in China, particularly Buddhist art, material culture, and artifacts within their ritual contexts. Integrating art history, Buddhist studies, and Digital Humanities, Liang explores visual culture and digital methodologies to advance the interpretation and preservation of Buddhist cultural heritage.
Rachel Stattion
Undergrad School / Major: B.S in Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies at Santa Clara University
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Rachel's research interests mainly emphasize comparative sex culture and sexuality studies in Japan and China. These areas broadly include themes of identity politics, family and kinship in queer spaces, gendered performance, performing sexual normativity, influence of East Asian pop culture media studies (manga, manhwa, manhua, light novels, dramas, etc.) on sexual minority social inclusion/exclusion, as well as sex education and sexual social norms.
Qijia Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Translation
Hometown: Jinan, Shandong
Qijia explores sensory culture and spatial poetics in Ming-Qing and contemporary Sinophone literature, with a focus on how women and cultural minorities employ multisensory expressions across textual narratives, theatrical performances, and visual arts to articulate counter-hegemonic agencies.
Stephanie Wang
Undergrad School / Major: Bryn Mawr College, B.A. History of Art, Urban Studies
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Stephanie's undergraduate research focused on the intersection of visual culture and trauma studies in postwar Japan, culminating in a thesis on the "aesthetics of haunting" in the work of Takanashi Yutaka and Hosoe Eikoh. She has gained curatorial and research experience through internships at the Japan Society Gallery and Haverford College's Quaker & Special Collections. As an MA student, she is interested in further exploring how cultural production has mediated personal and collective memory in Japan from the late twentieth century to the present.
Xiuqi Lu
Undergrad School / Major: Sichuan University, Chinese language and literature
Hometown: Shandong
"My research focuses on Chinese online literature and fan fiction, particularly examining how women creators reshape expressions of gender and embodiment through interactions within fan communities. I also have interests in modern and contemporary Chinese literature, film, and popular cultures."
Xuetong Shen
Undergrad School / Major: UCLA History major with Asian Humanities minor
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Xuetong's academic interest is the intellectual history of the Guangdong province (the south of China) in late imperial China. Specifically, she wants to explore the integration and competition of literati and merchant-business. She is also interested in the topic of gender and sexuality.
Yaxuan Qiu
Undergrad School / Major: Hangzhou City University (Finance)
Hometown: Jin Hua
"My research focuses on gender inequality in East Asian public restrooms and Confucian gender norms, with additional interests in cultural and body history."
Yueshan Gu
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History of Art and Architecture, UC Santa Barbara
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Yueshan's primary research interest focuses on contemporary East Asian art. Her undergraduate thesis explores experimental ink painting in China. Additional areas of research include museum studies, gender politics, and digital art.
Yuqing Zou
Undergrad School / Major: UCLA, BA in Asian Languages and Linguistics
Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Yuqing's interests primarily focus on the Chinese language and how historical, social, and cultural transformations have shaped its development. She is also interested in exploring connections between Chinese and Korean, particularly from historical and cultural perspectives on language change.
Yuwei Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: BBA in Financial Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Yuwei's research focuses on the representation of the body in contemporary East Asian film, theatre, and visual art, including the gendered body, queer theory, crip theory, virtual bodies, and Western reimaginings of East Asian bodies. He examines how these bodily narratives interact with sociopolitical contexts, cultural identity, and cross-cultural exchange within globalized and postcolonial frameworks. Additionally, Yuwei has a broader interest in fashion history and film market studies.
Recent Graduates
Alexander Perez
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Literature and Theater Studies, Duke University
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Alex's research interests include modern Japanese literature, film, and anime and how those works get adapted for Western audiences.
Allison Robertson
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Japanese and Art History minor, UCLA
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Allison’s current research focuses on issues of gender, fear, and cruelty in supernatural setsuwa of the medieval period. Having spent much of her life as the lead guitarist in an all-female rock band, she is particularly interested in analyzing the notion of the public persona as it relates to perceptions and representations of gender and class in premodern Japanese literature. Allison's thesis is available here.
Ava Simon
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, UCLA
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
"I am specifically interested in the intersection of Western and Eastern Medicine, from the perspective of the East. That is, instances where there was a collaboration, or forceful implementation, of foreign schools of thought concerning medicine and how those were accommodated and changed to fit the existing frameworks in a given culture, specifically my interest lies in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan."
Brandon Munoz
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Languages and Literature - Japanese, UC Riverside
Hometown: Helendale, CA
Brandon's research interest is in the influence westernization has had on gender roles and sexuality through the lens of Meiji Era and Post-war occupation literature.
Chi Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature, Nanjing University; M.A. in Cultural and Creative Industries, King's College London
Hometown: Nanjing, China
Chi's research interests lie at the intersection of women, gender, and popular culture in contemporary East Asian societies, with special focus on comparative studies of China and South Korea.
(Caroline) Chu Chu
Undergrad School / Major: Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies, Western University
Hometown: Tianjin, China
Chu's interests focus on affect, gender and sexuality in modern and contemporary Chinese literature and film. Her recent research revolves around affective structures, manipulation, and their interactions with identity politics. Broader interests also include popular literature, queer theory, media theory, visual culture, fandom and participatory culture. Chu's thesis is available here.
Cindy Chen
Undergrad School / Major: Northwestern University, English: Creative Writing
Hometown: Arcadia, CA
Cindy's interests are in Chinese literature of the late imperial dynasties and the intersections of gender and sexuality in this time period. She is also interested in womanhood and its ties to monstrosity within literature. Cindy's thesis is available here.
Chumeng Yang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, Tsinghua University
Hometown: Beijing, China
Chumeng is interested in medieval Chinese history and literature. Chumeng's thesis is available here.
Diana Romero
Undergrad School / Major: CSU Long Beach, Communication Studies
Hometown: Orange, CA
Diana's research interests include understanding how traditional gender roles connect with gender inequality in Japanese society. She wants to focus on the impact of gender-based social expectations and governmental policies on women's behaviors. Diana is also interested in racial dynamics and the proliferation of stereotypes in present-day Japanese media.
Dongshi Zhang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, UCLA
Hometown: China
Dongshi is a Departmental Scholar who is pursuing the bachelor's and master's degrees simultaneously. Dongshi's research interests mainly orient around cultural history within the time scope from late Qing to PRC China, with possible research extended into a transnational direction as to incorporate the colonial modernity into the major factors constructing people's historical experiences in modern East Asia. Dongshi's thesis is available here.
Gary Hejie Huang
Undergrad School / Major: B.S. in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in Comparative Literature, UC Santa Barbara
Hometown: Gunagzhou, China; Irvine, CA
Gary's research areas include psychoanalysis of contemporary Chinese, Trauma Studies and Memory Studies, comparative analysis of literary changes under the democratic reform in the 1980s, and East Asian LGBTQ literature.
Ishani Ghosh
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Global Studies and Korean minor, UC Berkeley
Hometown: Pune, Maharashtra
Ishani is interested in researching depictions of cultural misappropriation/appreciation, sexism, racism, and colorism in Korean media.
Jennifer Fagan
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in World Literature and Culture/Linguistics; a minor in Transnational Korean Studies, UC San Diego
Hometown: Viejo, California
Jennifer is interested in studying South Korea's tradition and culture, particularly their cultural stories as well as how that manifests in their linguistic practices.
Jiayin Yuan
Undergrad School / Major: B.A in Asian Studies, International Studies, and Psychology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Hometown: Wuhan, China
Jiayin's research focuses on premodern Japanese literature, particularly on war tales such as The Tale of the Heike. She's interested in exploring the question of how people imagine and understand the society and the world they inhabit, and in doing so how they use literature as a vehicle to justify or challenge the notion of authority in medieval Japan.
Jingjing Fan
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Culture, Literature & the Arts, University of Washington at Bothell
Hometown: Shenzhen, China
Jingjing is interested in Chinese contemporary literature and films (since 1919), exploring the boundaries of themes and beliefs while holding on the threads of morality and histories. Jingjing's thesis is available here
Julie Morris
Undergrad School / Major: B.M. in Flute Performance from Morehead State University; M.M. in Flute Performance, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Hometown: Independence, KY
Julie's research is focused on the transmission of ideas in Japan as seen in the ritual performance art of kagura and its impact in the ripples of society. In addition, she is interested in how instrumental kagura was in the dissemination and unification of political, social, and religious ideas surrounding these prefectures both in pre-modern and present day Japan.
Kaoru Kuribayashi Stanislaus
Undergrad School / Major: MSc Marketing and Technology, Goldsmiths, University of London
Hometown: Yokohama, Japan
Kaoru is interested in the cosmopolitan ideology of the prewar Japanese American community in Little Tokyo. Assistant instructor at UteaLA.
Luxiao Shi
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Contemporary Chinese History, Renmin University of China
Hometown: Beijing, China
Luxiao is interested in the cultural and social history of modern China, with particular emphasis on the Mao era. Moe's thesis is available here.
Moe Sasakawa
Undergrad School / Major: School of Letters at Nagoya University
Hometown: Fukuoka, Japan
Moe’s interest lies in the human-animal intersectionality in modern and contemporary Japanese literature. Moe's thesis is available here.
Nuo Chen
Undergrad School / Major: University of Toronto, Book and Media Studies, East Asian Studies
Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Nuo's primary interest is contemporary East Asian media, popular culture and fandom, especially in China. She is interested in exploring the cultural practice conducted by female fans on social media platforms, and how their activities are tied into other social issues and sexual politics. She aims to understand fan culture from a gender perspective, particularly as it pertains to how fandom and popular culture serve as reflections of gender ideology and politics in present-day China. Nuo's thesis is available here.
Qianyi Xie
Undergrad School / Major: Japanese(Campus Asia), Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Qianyi's interest lies on the disparities in East Asian societies, especially the Buraku discrimination and the history of Burakumin in Japan. She is also keen on conducting comparative studies between China, Japan and South Korea.
Qingyi Sun
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, Fudan University
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Qingyi is interested in the cultural history of 20th-century China, and her undergraduate thesis was focused on female hysteria in Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s. After graduating from UCLA, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Besides studying, she finds joy in reading, singing, and dancing. Qingyi's thesis is available here.
Rachel Bei Han
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in East Asian Studies, Sarah Lawrence College
Hometown: Jinan, Shandong, China
Rachel has a keen interest in exploring contemporary Japanese literature, particularly novels written by women, which delve into themes of gender, race, and the complexities surrounding cultural appropriation in present-day Japan. She is eager to engage with these narratives that offer insightful perspectives on these societal issues.
Rucheng Wang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in World History, Boston University
Hometown: Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Rucheng is interested in the interconnection between Chinese historical and intellectual development. He has a special interest in Zhuangzi and Neo-Taoism which was reflected in the intellectual trend during Wei-Jin period.
Ruochen Cao
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Korean language & literature and Sociology, Peking University
M.A. in Social Science (with a concentration in sociology and history), University of Chicago
Hometown: Beijing, China
Ruochen is interested in the intersectional dynamics of gender, class, and race in the domain of labor and works in the context of contemporary East Asian society.
Shenghan (Harry) Li
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Chinese and B.A. in Linguistics and Asian Languages & Cultures, UCLA
Hometown: Beijing, China
Harry is a Departmental Scholar who is pursuing the bachelor's and master's degrees simultaneously. Harry is mainly interested in contemporary Chinese popular culture, particularly 21st century Mandopop. He is also interested in Taiwan New Cinema Movement, (post-) White Terror Era, and the reflection of Confucius ideology in contemporary Chinese expressive cultures. Harry's thesis is available here.
Taylor Shaw
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in Art History, Sweet Briar College
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Taylor’s interest is in combining political science and art history. Through her research in her undergraduate career, she was able to delve specifically into the symbiotic nature of what is occurring politically in China through the lens of censorship in Chinese Contemporary art.
Wan Zhao
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, University of Toronto
Hometown: Shenzhen/ Guangdong, China
"My research interest focuses on gender and social history in late imperial China! My undergrad thesis is about the economic reasons behind the non-elite widows' suicide in the Qing dynasty, which means I have a more specific interest in women (or more specifically, widows) and the non-elite class in China!" Wan's thesis is available here.
Yali He-Schaefer
Undergrad School / Major: Organizational Communications/TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, George Fox University
Hometown: Chenzhou, China
Yali's interests primarily lie in studying contemporary Chinese social reforms and initiatives and how different parts of society are involved in such efforts, particularly Chinese women and ethnic minorities. Yali's thesis is available here.
Yijie Wang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature, Soochow University
Hometown: Yangzhou, China
Yijie is interested in Modern & Contemporary Chinese Literature, material culture in China, memory studies and post-colonial theories. Her undergraduate thesis was focused on the relationship among objects, craftsmanship and memory in Ge Liang's novels. Yijie's MA thesis is available here.
Yu "Bene" Zhuang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in History, UCLA
Hometown: Beijing, China
Bene has dedicated himself to exploring intellectual and social history of contemporary China, with a specific focus on the Cultural Revolution. He is also interested in various topics within Chinese philosophy and 20th-century radicalism, including critical theory, Marxism, nationalism, and the concept of subjectivity. Bene's thesis is available here.
Yue Wang
Undergrad School / Major: UC Berkeley, East Asian Studies
Hometown: ShenZhen, China
Yue is very interested in Chinese literature and culture, as well as studying Chinese Buddhist culture and history.
Ziqiao Shen
Undergrad School / Major: B.S in Business Administration, Tongji University and ESSEC Business School
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Ziqiao is interested in gender studies including women in the workplace in contemporary China.
Ziyue Wang
Undergrad School / Major: B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature, Tsinghua University
Hometown: Urumqi, China
Ziyue is interested in contemporary Chinese poetry and intellectual history, particularly that of the 1980s. He plans to purse research in the field of Chinese literary history, focusing on the production of literature in China's multi-regions and exploring the situation of contemporary Chinese literature in the context of East Asia history. Ziyue's thesis is available here.
