Department Member, Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies
Girton
Thesis Title: Northeast Asia and the Northern Expedition, 1925-1928: A Strategic History
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Prof. Hans van de Ven
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About
I am interested in military history in general and war in East Asia between 1894 and 1945 in particular. I believe that instead of trying to explain why someone had won the war retrospectively, we can understand more about the wars in China during this period by looking at the losers and trying to understand their strength, the specific context which shaped their perception of the situation, and the difficulties they faced. I am convinced that victory and defeats are not preordained. This is the reason why I choose to look at the Northern Expedition from perspective of the defeated "warlords".
Moreover, I believe that modern Chinese history should not be seen from a "China-centered" perspective, as the global flow of capital, ideas and institution since the 15th century had transformed Asia into a region with inter-connected components. A regional perspective is perhaps more effective in understanding both internal developments in China and interaction between China, Asia, and the rest of the world. Thus, I am always interested in regional developments, and strife to understand how regional factor contributed to the outcome of the Northern Expedition in my PhD Thesis.
Contact Information
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+852 60781951 |
