معرفی
He Bian serves as Associate Professor of History and East Asian Studies at Princeton University, teaching courses including Modern East Asia (HIS 208), Early Modern China (HIS 324), and Medicine and Society in China (HIS 472). Her research reinterprets Chinese cultural history through the lens of scientific and medical knowledge systems between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Her educational background includes:
- Ph.D. in History of Science from Harvard University (2014)
- M.S. in Human Nutrition from University of Illinois at Chicago
- B.S. in Biological Science from Peking University
Professor Bian's scholarship centers on authority and variation in China's traditional knowledge culture, with groundbreaking work on pharmacy, medical recipes, and Manchu language scholarship. She examines how institutional, social, and economic conditions shaped scientific practices, particularly through textual analysis of prescription cases, materia medica, and Manchu archives. Her approach foregrounds diverse knowledge forms while challenging conventional periodization in East Asian intellectual history.
Analysis of her publications reveals evolving focus from Ming-Qing pharmacy systems toward Manchu-language scientific documentation, with increasing attention to multilingual scholarship at the Qing court. Recent work integrates medical history with borderland studies and sensory approaches, demonstrating methodological innovation in global history of science.
Her accolades include the Honorable Mention for the 2022 Joseph Levenson Prize for Know Your Remedies: Pharmacy and Culture in Early Modern China.
- Honorable Mention for the 2022 Joseph Levenson Prize
- Henry Luce Foundation / ACLS Early Career Fellowship
Professor Bian mentors students including Charles Argon, Yang Li, Jingwen Li, and Alexis Siemon on Ming-Qing history and East Asian science. Her research is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Max Planck Institute for History of Science, and Harvard-Yenching Institute.
She co-edits the open-access Saksaha: Journal of Manchu Studies and previously served as President of the Manchu Studies Group (2020-2023). Her collaborative work with Mårten Söderblom Saarela on Manchu lexicography and co-teaching at Princeton's Rare Books School demonstrate commitment to interdisciplinary scholarly communities.
