I received my academic training in Chinese and Western language, literature, and intellectual history in China before taking my doctoral degree in Comparative Literature at the University of Texas at Austin in December, 1995. I joined the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2007.

I work in three closely interrelated areas. First is Standard Mandarin Chinese. In this area I currently teach three courses at all levels. My research interests center upon pedagogy (strategies, innovations, intensification of instruction, overseas immersion, and new models for undergraduate Flagship and other programs in Chinese). I have presented my paper "Pedagogical Interventions with Chinese Literature: Poetry in the Lower-Division Classroom" at the Modern Language Association (MLA)'s 2009 Annual Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My recent paper "Teaching Chinese Language through Popular Music: A Song-Based Approach" has been accepted for presentation at the 2012 Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

My second area is Chinese literature both ancient (lyric poetry and fiction) and modern (including films). Here my research includes early poetry and prose, Historical Records, Tang-Song poetry, Ming-Qing fiction, as well as modern (including films). I am also interested in the transformation of ancient Chinese literature into modern culture. Recently, I have presented my paper "Representing Revolution: The Modern Transformation of the Traditional Self in Lu Xun's Fiction" at the American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA)'s 2012 Annual Convention held at Brown University. My upcoming research is a paper "Reconstructing the Self: The Biopic of Confucius."

The third area is comparative world literature. Here I have taught two courses in world literature in the English department for three semesters. My research focuses on masterpieces in Chinese and Western languages and literatures. I have presented a paper "Global Subjects of Poetry: How Poetry Transcends the National" at the ACLA's 2008 Annual Convention held in Long Beach, California. I have also presented a paper "Global Language, Local Tricksters: Monkey King and Don Quixote" at the ACLA's 2009 Annual Convention held at Harvard University. Recently, I have presented a paper "Chinese and Western Heroes in Ancient Antiquity" at the ACLA's 2011 Annual Convention held in Vancouver. I have also strayed into western intellectual history and taught Chinese language and East Asia literature in translation in the context of comparative cultural studies.

I have developed two study abroad programs, one with Fudan University in Shanghai, the emerging "Wall Street" of the East, and the other with Peking University (Beida), also known today as "the Harvard of China." These two programs, either short-term (three weeks in summer) or long term (one semester or longer), will provide opportunities for students of Chinese to be immersed in Chinese culture and learn Chinese language first-hand. I have developed and taught a Chinese movie course, as well as a First-Year Seminar course for two semesters.

I am a native of China. I have had a lifelong interest in language and literature. I studied western languages and literatures in China and came to the United States for my doctoral studies in Comparative Literature. I am a comparatist with great sensitivity to cultural identity and alterity. I have taught English as a Second Language at college in China. I have also taught Chinese to college students, U.S. government employees, as well as executives, directors, and managers from business sectors in the United States.