Xinyang Zhao

Before turning her gaze to literature, Xinyang worked at a humanities journal, where she gained valuable experience in Chinese politics and history, and developed a growing interest in literary studies. 

She later completed an MSc in Literature and Modernity at the University of Edinburgh, a programme that further shaped her perspective on cross-cultural understandings of modernity. Following this, she shifted her focus to Chinese literature, drawn especially to the early twentieth century, when modern and postmodern elements intertwined and the nation stood at a historical turning point.  With an academic background in philosophy, Xinyang is particularly interested in phenomenology, especially the concept of ‘time’. The phenomenological shift in how time is perceived, particularly an individual’s ‘authentic Being’ in the present moment, has also influenced her interest in China’s understanding of modernity during the early twentieth century.  

Outside of academia, Xinyang is passionate about travel and tracing the footsteps of historical figures. She finds inspiration in physically encountering places imbued with historical memory. Fragments of history, embedded in the diaries, correspondence, and literary works of cultural figures, come alive through these journeys. They create a sense of real 'time travel' and a tangible dialogue with those who came before. These experiences have been found in her online novels, social media writing, and essays published in magazines.

• Modern Chinese fiction;
• 20th-century Chinese intellectual history;
• Phenomenology
• Aesthetics