Mengxiao Wang

Mengxiao Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Literatures from Yale University, an M.A. in Classical Chinese Literature and Philology from Beijing Normal University, and a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from the same institution. She completed postdoctoral training as a Sheng Yen Postdoctoral Fellow in Chinese Buddhism at the University of California, Berkeley (2019-2021).

• B.A., Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University
• M.A., Classical Chinese Literature and Philology, Beijing Normal University
• Ph.D., East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University
• Postdoctoral Training: Sheng Yen Postdoctoral Fellow in Chinese Buddhism, University of California, Berkeley (2019-2021)

Wang specializes in traditional Chinese literature and culture with a primary focus on the interplay between literary production and religious practice, particularly examining how Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian traditions intersect with theatrical performance and literary creation in late imperial China. Her research reveals how religious practices shaped theatrical forms and how literary works served as vehicles for religious expression, with particular attention to gender dynamics within religious contexts. Her current book project, Buddhism and Theatricality in Early Modern China, investigates how monastics and the laity reshaped theater as a form of religious endeavor during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Analysis of Wang's 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent scholarly trajectory exploring the intersections of Chinese literature, religious practice, and theatrical performance across multiple dynastic periods. Her work demonstrates particular expertise in Buddhist influences on Chinese drama, with recurring investigations of specific texts like the Buddhist play Guiyuanjing. She has established a distinctive research niche examining gender representations within religious theatrical contexts and the complex relationships between monastic communities and literary production. Her scholarship spans multiple disciplines including literary history, religious studies, theater studies, and gender studies, with particular strength in textual analysis of primary sources from late imperial China.

Wang has taught courses including Introduction to Chinese Culture, Art and Literature; Cultural Topics in East Asian Literature; Classical Chinese I; Chinese Fiction; and specialized seminars on China. Her teaching reflects her research interests in Chinese literature, religion, and cultural history.