Homepage
Upcoming Events
News
Victor Seow wins Sarton Prize for the History of Science from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Victor Seow, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, has won the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Sarton Prize for the History…
Digital China Initiative launches Digital China Worldwide chatbot
The Digital China Initiative (DCI) has launched the Digital China Worldwide (DCW) chatbot, a groundbreaking aid for finding digital resources related to Chinese studies. The platform offers a…
Videos
Faculty Spotlight
Karen L. Thornber is Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, as well as Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. As a cultural historian and scholar of Asian literature, she believes deeply that literature is a force for good in the pursuit of social justice. Conducting research in more than a dozen Asian and European languages, modern and classical, she has authored six scholarly books, 80 scholarly articles/chapters, several (co)edited volumes, and Japanese literature translations. Her 2024 book, Gender Justice and Contemporary Asian Literatures, was the focus of a roundtable at the Modern Language Association’s recent 2025 meeting.
Blog
Three Fairbank Center Faculty Reactions to the Third Plenum
On July 18, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) concluded the Third Plenum of the 20th Party Congress. The Third Plenum traditionally has tackled economic issues, with…
From Shanghai to Cambridge and Back Again: Spotlight on Jie Li
Jie Li, Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Fairbank Center Faculty Affiliate, uses a range of media approaches to teach her undergraduate students at Harvard. Her most popular…
“Stabilizing Pills” for Chinese private enterprises in the post-pandemic era: Real stimulus or just a placebo?
Han Cheng is a Master’s student in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. All eyes are on the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist…
Norbu Ketaka: An AI Journey Through Ancient Tibetan Manuscripts
“Norbu ketaka,” Tibetan for “cleansing jewel,” refers to a gem said to possess the magical power to purify murky waters. The name encapsulates this project’s mission: to cleanse obscure and…
Summer Reading 2024: Our Community Recommendations
We asked our Visiting Scholars and Visiting Fellows of Practice, Postdoctoral and Predoctoral Fellows, and Graduate Student Associates to offer up their recommended reading for curious minds over the summer…
