academic autobiography

I’m currently professor of discourse studies at the Research Centre for Linguistics, Semiotics and Communication Studies, Tianjin Foreign Studies University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Tianjin Foreign Studies University. I also serve as vice president and secretary general of China Association of Discourse Studies, and vice president of Chinese Sociolinguistics Association. I’m also member of the Standing Committee of Tianjin Foreign Languages Association, member of the Standing Committee of Tianjin Linguistics Association, and committee member of Tianjin Translation Studies Association.

I received my PhD degree from Nankai University, and ever worked as visiting scholar at the University of East Anglia, and as researcher at Lancaster University, UK. I have been English professor  at Tianjin University of Commerce, China,  and worked as Dean of its School of Foreign Languages and School of International Education. I gave keynote speeches at conferences and seminars, and lectured at various universities in China as well as in England, Finland, Thailand, and Australia. I chaired MA and PhD viva at departments of universities in Tianjin, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. 

My academic research focuses on sociolinguistics and (critical) discourse analysis, especially on interdisciplinary studies of discourse in relation to society. I’m also interested in translation studies. My research articles are published in English and Chinese, widely cited and indexed, and some have gained rewards at various levels in China. All these articles can be downloaded from this website.

I’m currently on the advisory board of the John Benjamins book series Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture, and on the editorial board of several academic journals, including Journal of Language of Politics, Journal of Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Discourse Studies, and Journal of Tianjin University of Commerce. I’m currently the co-editor-in-chief of the book series Nankai Discourse Studies published by Nankai University Press.

I’ve accomplished the state-granted research project Critical Chinese Discourse Studies, the Leverhulme Trust funded international collaborative project New Discourse in Contemporary China (with Paul Chilton and Ruth Wodak). I’m currently directing a research on Context and Cognition, a project funded by the Chinese Ministry of Education. 

I’ve published a number of books and edited volumes, including Discourse Studies: Categories, Perspectives, Methodologies (Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2009), Discourse and Socio-political Transformations in Contemporary China (John Benjamins Publishing Company 2012, with Paul Chilton and Ruth Wodak ), Discourse Approach to Tourism: Theory and Practice (Foreign Languages Press, 2012), Critical Discourse Analysis: Interpretations, Reflections and Applications (Nankai University Press, 2014), and Discourse, Politics, and Media in Contemporary China (John Benjamins Publishing Company 2012, with Qing Cao and Paul Chilton ).