Yuchen Wang

Yuchen Wang graduated from the China University of Political Science and Law with degrees in Law and Philosophy. His research interests include contemporary Chinese literary and cultural practices—such as poetry, fan fiction, and Tiktok shorts - in their social contexts, focusing on their connections to emotions, consciousness, identities, and symbolic systems. He has conducted ethnographic and literary studies on migrant worker poetry and writing communities in China before coming to Duke University.

Beyond academia, he volunteers in literary education for marginalized groups. He is a core member of the Picun Literature Group in Beijing, where he leads a regular creative writing workshop, and he recently joined Poetree, an NGO promoting poetry education for rural children. He also engages in experimental poetry writing, incorporating perspectives from anthropology and other disciplines, and enjoys exploring a wide range of popular culture along with its social and historical roots.