Zhang Xudong

Zhang Xudong was born in Beijing in 1965 and graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University. He received his PhD in literature from Duke University in 1995. He is currently Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of East Asian Studies at New York University, and chair of the Department of East Asian Studies. His research covers cultural studies, literary theory, modernism and postmodernism, and his books include Chinese Modernism in the Era of Reforms, Traces of Criticism and Cultural Identity in the Age of Globalization. Three of his works are included here, spanning a wide range of subjects: scholarly writing that probes the literary-historical scene, such as The Self-Awareness of Za-wen: The "Second Birth" of Lu Xun's Literature (1924–1927), as well as practical titles on tunnel engineering and on medication and care for liver and gallbladder diseases. His academic writing is source-driven and context-sensitive, with close-grained argument, while his pieces for general readers aim at clarity and practicality. Public information is limited, and the overall character of his essays and inspirational writing awaits further material.