Tell us about your dissertation:

My dissertation, "Imagining the Loss: Maps and State-Building in Modern China, 1910s-1940s," investigates the roles of maps and geographic knowledge in shaping territorial discourses and people's consciousness of the nation-state in early twentieth-century China. Focusing on the production, dissemination, application, and oversight of maps and geographic knowledge, my dissertation argues that maps contributed to the advent of "geographic patriotism" in early twentieth-century China and influenced present-day Chinese territorial narratives. I suggest that an imaginative Chinese territory was visualized both in print and as mental maps.

I am honored to be co-awarded the History Distinguished Dissertation Award with Sherri Cummings. I thank my advisor, professors, and the Graduate Committee for their support and recognition.