“一个人的命运当然要靠自我奋斗，但也要考虑到历史的行程。”

"One’s destiny surely rests on personal effort, yet it must also be understood in light of the course of history."

— 江泽民 (Jiang Zemin)

I am an Assistant Professor at the School of Political Science and International Relations, Tongji University. Before joining Tongji, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Chinese Studies, Freie Universität Berlin. I earned my Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) in 2021. You can find my curriculum vitae here: CV

I study Chinese politics at the intersection of comparative politics and public administration. My research focuses on political elites and networks, political communication and propaganda, and digital governance, with particular attention to how authoritarian institutions organize power, manage information, and adapt to new technologies. My work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Comparative Politics, Journal of Chinese Political Science, International Political Science Review, Administration & Society, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Journal of Contemporary China, and China: An International Journal.

Beyond my research, I explore European history from the medieval world onward. I have visited dozens of antique shops and flea markets across Germany and Europe, and I look forward to discovering more vintage pieces—and the stories they carry. I’m especially drawn to porcelain, miniature painting, and prints, and I’m steadily learning the craft behind them. Political science also needs an education in beauty.

News

• [June 2026] My article, “Reassurance and Pride: Narrating and Legitimating Digital Surveillance in China”, co-authored with Danqi Guo and Prof. Dr. Genia Kostka, has appeared online in International Political Science Review. Drawing on official Weibo posts about Skynet and Sharp Eyes, the article shows how surveillance is normalized through narratives of reassurance, governance, and national pride. Read it here.
• [May 2026] Our article, “Aligning Agendas in Public-Activity Reports: Provincial Leaders and Central Signals in China, 2016–2022”, co-authored with Dr. Zhusong Yang, is now available online in Journal of Chinese Political Science. The study examines how provincial leaders respond to central political signals through routine public-activity reporting. Read it here.
• [Apr. 2026] My article, “Divergent Pathways to ‘Digital China’: Unveiling Provincial Digital Agendas Under Top-Level Design”, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Genia Kostka, has been published online in Journal of Contemporary China. Read it here.
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[Spring 2026] I will join the School of Political Science and International Relations at Tongji University as an Assistant Professor. I look forward to starting this new chapter in Shanghai—one of China’s most international cities.
[Feb. 2026] Our paper proposal, “Who Meets the Secretary? Mapping State–Business Networks Across China’s Provinces (2005–2024)”, co-authored with Dr. María Sol Parrales López (Fellow, IPE; Department of International Relations, The London School of Economics and Political Science), has been accepted for presentation at the 2026 ECPR General Conference, under the panel “From Texts to Networks: Semantic, Socio-Semantic, and Discourse Networks” in the Political Networks Section.
[September 2025] I will present my working paper on the state narrative of digital surveillance in China at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA), to be held in Vancouver.
[July 2025] I will present my working paper, co-authored with Danqi Guo and Prof. Dr. Genia Kostka, on the narrative of China's digital surveillance projects at the two-day “PRIVACY-China Workshop,” held at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, from July 3 to 4, 2025.
[June 2025] My working paper, “Who Goes Digital and Why? Explaining Variations in Provincial Digitalization Agendas in China”, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Genia Kostka, has been accepted for presentation at the International Conference on China Policy Studies (ICCPS), to be held at Beijing Normal University from June 6 to 8, 2025.
[Feb. 2025] My paper, co-authored with Dr. Zhusong Yang from Tsinghua University, on the public image of local political elites in China, is now available online at Comparative Politics!
[April. 2025] My working paper on the power structure and loyalty signaling in China has been accepted for presentation at the Political Studies Association (PSA)'s annual conference, to be hosted by the University of Birmingham and Aston University from April 14–16, 2025, in the UK!
[Nov. 2024] I will present my working paper on the narrative of China's digital surveillance projects at the annual conference of the Arbeitskreis Sozialwissenschaftliche Chinaforschung (ASC) in the University of Bonn, Germany.
[Sep. 2024] I will present my working paper on the "Digital China" strategy at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association (APSA) in Philadelphia, USA.
[August. 2024] I will present my working paper on the public image of local political elites in China at the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) General Conference 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.

Contact

Address: Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, China
Office Location: Zhonghe Building, Siping Road Campus, Tongji University
Email: yanyang0925@tongji.edu.cn