Xiaolin Duan

Xiaolin Duan is a Professor of Chinese history at North Carolina State University's Department of History, within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on socio-cultural history in medieval and early modern China, particularly urban history, popular religion, and visual/material culture.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History, University of Washington, 2014
• M.A. in History, University of Washington, 2010
• B.A. in History and Sociology, Beijing University, 2008

Research Interests:

• Medieval to early modern Chinese history
• Environmental history
• Cultural geography and urban studies
• Material culture and popular religion
• Early modern globalization
• Trans-Pacific trade and cultural exchange

Key Projects:

• Rise of West Lake: A Cultural Landmark in the Song Dynasty (University of Washington Press, 2020)
• An Object of Seduction: Chinese Silk in the Early Modern Trans-Pacific Trade (Lexington Books, 2022)
• Ongoing research on trans-Pacific trade networks between the Ming Dynasty and Spanish Empire
• Collaborative digital humanities projects, including interactive maps of West Lake and K-12 educational resources

Teaching: Courses on Chinese and East Asian history, including global history of travel, material culture, and environmental history. Current courses in Fall 2024: HI 375 (Global History of Travel) and HI 491 (Senior Seminar on Travel and Mobility).

Awards:

• Hsiao Fellowship
• Hultquist Fellowship
• NCSU’s Junior Faculty Development Award
• Grants from Geiss and Hsu Foundation, OPEN Incubator, and others

Collaborations: Works with institutions such as Granada University, Carnegie Mellon, and computer science researchers to develop digital tools for historical education, including interactive maps and place-based learning platforms.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary teams focused on digital humanities, global history, and K-12 education outreach through projects like History for the 21st Century and the Getty Center's "Seattle Art Museum Online Catalog."