About me
I have lived, worked, and studied in China for 15 years before moving to Hawai'i to study my Ph.D. in sociology. I studied Mandarin at Huaihai Institute of Technology (now known as Jiangsu Ocean University) and Peking University. I then studied at Renmin University of China where I received an M.A. in Chinese Philosophy.
My sociological interests center around the Chinese education system; Overseas Chinese students; Chinese sea turtles (haigui); English language acquisition and application; Chinese rural to urban migration patterns for university studies; Chinese supplemental education; Parachute parenting; The double-reduction policy; Undergraduate and graduate level university and major selection; The role of guanxi (relationships) between Chinese students and advisors.
My philosophical interests center around human nature and benevolence and righteousness; Daoism; Confucianism; The arguments of Mengzi and Xunzi regarding natural disposition being inherently good or not good; Gaozi's argument of "neutrality" in human nature; The concept of Evil in Chinese philosophy; The path to becoming a gentleman (junzi); The importance of filial piety; Zhuangzi's butterfly dream paradox; The role of confucian ethics when applied to contemporary Chinese child rearing.
