As a visiting scholar from Peking University, Kai specializes in Comparative Literature and World Literature. His current research focuses on the theory of diary literature and the analysis of diary entries spanning from the late imperial period to modern times, with particular emphasis on diaries written by travelers to western countries.
Ph.D. Candidate, Asien-Orient-Institut, University of Zurich.
Mariana Zorkina is a PhD candidate at the Asien-Orient-Institut, Zurich University (Switzerland). She received her MA in Asian and African Cultures at the St. Petersburg State University (Russian Federation) with a project on reflection of Daoism in literature of Imperial China. Currently, she studies Tang 唐 (618–907）poetry with a special interest in: 1. the poetic usage of objects in shi 詩 poetry and the boundary between ‘poetic’ and ‘profane’ objects, 2. the notion of ‘things’ wu 物 and its development in Early and Medieval China, its interconnection with compilation of topical...