I am a DPhil student in Area Studies (China) at Hertford College, University of Oxford. Prior to embarking on my DPhil journey, I studied Anthropology at Xiamen University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, after which I received further oral history training at Columbia University. Throughout my academic path, I have conducted extensive fieldwork projects across mainland China, Hong Kong and New York, focusing on diverse topics such as gender, immigration, self-identity and folk religion, among others. In the midst of this ongoing exploration, I have returned my attention to the region I know the best, and the people I resonate with most. Under the supervision of Professor Anna Lora-Wainwright, I am committed to exploring and discussing health and health care issues in contemporary China, with a particular emphasis on women’s everyday experiences and practices during pregnancy.
My research aims to shed light on the experiences and practices of 'ordinary pregnancy' in contemporary China, especially in the post-zero-Covid era. Through an examination of the daily experiences, particularly those related to health, of pregnant women in Baoding, China, my research seeks to address questions such as 1) In what ways do women, their family members, and care providers in China perceive, experience and approach pregnancy? and 2) How do women, their families, their health professionals and policy makers in China interpret the significance and make meaning of pregnancy.
DPhil topic
My research aims to shed light on the experiences and practices of ‘ordinary pregnancy’ in contemporary China, especially in the post-zero-Covid era. Through an examination of the daily experiences, particularly those related to health, of pregnant women in Baoding, China, my research will seek to address two key questions: 1) How pregnancy is perceived, experienced and addressed by women, their relatives and their care providers in China; 2) What pregnancy really means to women, their family members, their physicians and policy makers in China.
