Yan Li

Yan Li is an Associate Professor at Tianjin University, specializing in architectural history and military defense systems of the Ming dynasty's Great Wall. Her research integrates GIS spatial analysis with historical studies of fortifications and border settlements.

• Education: PhD in Architecture (2007), Tianjin University

She has held visiting positions at the University of Louisville (Fine Art Department) and the Needham Research Institute (Xing-Zhi scholarship). Active in professional organizations, she has been a member of the Great Wall Institute of China since 2009 and the Dwelling Architecture Committee of the National Architecture Institute since 2014.

Her research focuses on digitally mapping and analyzing the Ming Great Wall's military defense system, culminating in the publication of Gazetteer of the Great Wall of China (Volume 4) and The Military Defense System and the Military Settlements along the Ming Great Wall. These works represent 2.5 million words of interdisciplinary research combining historical documentation with spatial analysis techniques.

• Scientific Recognition: Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PRC award for rural architecture excellence