Background

Xing Aodi was born and raised in Xi’an, China. Prior to joining the Comparative Asian Studies Programme, he received his B.A. degree in English Language and Literature from Shandong University (Jinan, China). After graduation, he joined the M.A. programme of Asian and Global History at NUS, an experience that introduced him to the study of history and ignited his passion for this field. Driven by the interest, he pursued a second M.A. degree in International History at LSE to better prepare for his future studies and research. Currently, he is back at NUS for his PhD studies.

Asian Languages

Aodi is a native speaker of Mandarin Chinese. He has a high fluency in Cantonese, and intermediate proficiency in Korean and Japanese. He is also a beginner in Thai and Lao for future research.

Research Interests

Aodi’s broader academic interests encompass ethnic identity, ethnohistory, border history, transnationality, nationalism, and Chinese diaspora. For his doctoral research, he plans to conduct an ethnohistorical research on Khmu, a transnational ethnic group primarily residing in Laos, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar. His main focus will be on China-Laos aspect with a comparative perspective, given that Khmu is the largest ethnic group in northern Laos but an unrecognized group in China. By centering on the interborder mobility and connectivity, their ethnic identity and landscape are explored in a transregional point of view.