Xu Chang 徐畅

Education:
B.A., Lanzhou University
M.A., Beijing Normal University

Research Interest:
Intellectual History; Ming-Qing Literature and Culture

Self-Introduction:
I try to "not go gentle into that good night."

Thesis Advisor: Prof Ong Chang Woei

Thesis Title: Writing the Seas during the Mid- and Late Ming Period (tentative)

Thesis Research Area:
The raids caused by wokou piracy during the Jiajing reign stimulated literati attention to the maritime realm. And in what ways did the ensuing discussions on maritime defense reveal changes in their understanding of the sea? This study examines the writings of military officials, envoys, and literati concerning the sea from the Jiajing reign to the end of the Ming dynasty (1522-1644), analyzing how worldviews, mythic narratives, tributary ideologies, seafaring experiences, and encyclopedic knowledge shaped maritime writing. In doing so, it seeks to illuminate how, through writing, literati articulated and constructed their perceptions of world order and the relationship between the state and the maritime domain.