A native of Beijing, China, I’ve always been interested in reading about history growing up. I graduated with a BA in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 2025 with a second major in economics. During my undergraduate studies, I explored a broad range of issues concerning intellectual history ranging from Europe to China, mostly in the modern period. Some specific areas of interest include Chinese workers on World War One Western Front, the Communist International’s involvement in the Chinese revolution, and the role of nationalism in the state-building process.
My undergraduate honors thesis, entitled Creative Evolution, Intuition, and Myth: Nationalist Thought of Liang Qichao and Zhang Dongsun during the First World War, investigates the two Chinese thinkers’ changing views toward nationalism as a result of their encounter with European intellectuals such as Henri Bergson and Georges Sorel. Specifically, I focused on the anti-Enlightenment strand of Chinese thought as exemplified by the reception of Bergson’s philosophy of life and Sorel’s emphasis on direct action in anarcho-syndicalist movements.
During my time at Columbia and LSE, I plan to further my interest in global intellectual history with a specific emphasis on the oftentimes unintended consequences of the transnational diffusion of ideas. With that in mind, I look forward to uncovering the many connections between early 20th century Chinese and Western thinkers that took place across national borders.
In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching movies, and playing the trombone. I played for a variety of ensembles throughout college and would like to keep it up during grad school. I am also an avid cyclist and I look forward to exploring the biking scenes that NYC and London have to offer.
