Arden Chao

Dr. Chao has contributed to understanding the Peking era of the Republic of China, traditionally labeled as a "warlord era." His forthcoming book, titled "The Last Parliament: Representative Institution and the Integration of Chinese State, 1922-1925," challenges prevailing views of this period by providing a nuanced exploration of the parliament's actual functioning and highlighting the pivotal role played by civilian staff in the political landscape of that era. Moreover, his comprehensive study delves into the transformation process and essence of the Chinese state. His scholarly paper "The Emergence and Evolution of the Concept 'Junfa' (warlords/militarists) in Early Republican China,” published in 2022, was a recipient of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award for Academic Research, bestowed by the National Science and Technology Council of Taiwan. This paper offers a unique perspective on twentieth-century China's political and ideological transformation by merging conceptual and psycho-historical approaches.

 

Beyond his research on modern Chinese history, Dr Chao also has a keen interest in classical Chinese literature. His contributions include two Chinese books: "Interpret the Poems of Qin Guan" (Qin Guan Shici Quanjian), published in 2020, which explores the interplay between the political life of the 10th-century Chinese poet Qin Guan and his literary works, and "Interpret Lyrics Poem Tunes" (Baixiang Cipu Quanjian) released in 2023, which offers an in-depth analysis of the techniques employed in lyrics poetry, a major genre of traditional Chinese literature.

 

After earning his Ph.D, Dr Chao began his teaching career at Southwest University in China. Seeking opportunities for academic growth and intellectual freedom, he decided to relinquish his tenure and pursue a postdoctoral research fellowship at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. In 2023, Dr Chao was awarded a prestigious Fulbright IIE grant, which has brought him here to teach at Sewanee.