I am a scholar of Chinese Buddhism with a focus on the late imperial period, approaching the subject from two complementary perspectives. First, I adopt a historical and social-political lens to examine the interaction between Buddhism and the state, the relations between monastics and lay society, and the internal dynamics of monastic institutions. Apart from close reading of primary sources, I also employ digital humanities methods, such as social network analysis, to trace broader patterns in the development of Buddhist communities and their engagement with Chinese emperors.

Second, I approach Buddhism through the lens of legal and normative studies, concentrating on the Vinaya tradition — the corpus of canonical regulations that governs monastic discipline and communal life procedures, most notably ordination. My research investigates both the foundational Vinaya texts and the rich Chinese commentarial tradition spanning more than a millennium, with particular attention to the evolution of specific rules and their interpretation.

My work has appeared in the Studies in Chinese Religions, Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies, and Religions.

Projects

Projects as postdoc

Vinaya revival on Baohua mountain in Ming–Qing China (2023 - 2026)

Publications

Most recent publications

Full bibliography

Teaching

My teaching career began with appointments as a Chinese language lecturer at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (2012–2013) and the Higher School of Economics (2013–2014). During my subsequent career in translation, I continued to work with private students, which eventually led me to draft an intermediate-level textbook designed to introduce learners to the translation of formal speeches in the context of bilateral socio-political exchanges. Additionally, together with my private Tibetan tutor, I co-compiled a pre-intermediate Tibetan reader, which was published in 2015.

At Ghent University, I participate in doctoral education through reading group meetings, where primary materials are collaboratively translated, and research forum meetings, where doctoral students and postdocs present their work and receive feedback.

I also contribute to the Master of Arts in Oriental Languages and Cultures (China) program, offered by the Department of Languages and Cultures, in two main capacities. First, I serve as a tutor for first-year MA students, guiding them through the courses "Research Seminar" (focused on developing a mock PhD proposal) and "Master Dissertation Seminar" (designed to lay the foundation for their thesis). In addition, I act as a second reader for both doctoral and master’s dissertations.

Second, I contribute by delivering ad hoc lectures within the MA curriculum. An overview of the lectures I have delivered so far is provided below:

"Famous Monks at the Service of the State: Buddhist Bureaucracy in China," March 12, 2025 (in the MA course "Contemporary Asian Academic Debates")
"Revival and Decline in the History of Chinese Buddhism," Ghent Univerisity, February 18, 2025 (in the MA course "Culture in Perspective")
"Animal Killing and Release in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism," Ghent Univerisity, October 16, 2024 (in the MA course "Contemporary Asian Academic Debates")

Apart from teaching at Ghent University, I have delivered several guest lectures at universities across Europe and China. In particular, my translation experience has strengthened my proficiency in Chinese, enabling me to deliver lectures in Chinese when teaching in China:

"Perceiving the Buddhist Revival of the Late Ming and Early Qing: A Social Network Analysis," Jinan University (Guangzhou, China), April 1, 2025 (in Chinese)
"Vinaya Revival on Baohua Mountain in Ming-Qing China," Nanjing University (Nanjing, China), March 25, 2025 (in Chinese)
"A Dual-Lineage Model at Guangji Temple in Early Qing: A Historical Study Based on Temple Gazetteers," Peking University (Beijing, China), March 20, 2025 (in Chinese)
"Reevaluating the Effectiveness of the Imperial Ban on Buddhist Monastic Ordinations in the Late Ming China," Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich, Germany), December 12, 2024

Activities

My contribution to the Department of Languages and Cultures at Ghent University extends beyond teaching (see the “Teaching” tab) and also includes responsibilities related to public communication.

I am maintaining the website and Instagram (@ghentcbs) of the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies (GCBS)
I coordinated the design and distribution of printed materials advertising the Lecture Series in Buddhist Studies organized by the GCBS for the general audience

I also strive to contribute to the broader scholarly community by participating in joint initiatives:

In cooperation with Guttorm Gundersen (Harvard), I am running the Online Buddhist Studies events list
Since 2021, I have been volunteering to write entries for the “Encyclopedia of Hangzhou Buddhist Culture” (EHBC), an initiative of the Center for Buddhist Studies at Arizona University (Tucson, AZ, USA)

I also engage in activities that foster professional networking and facilitate exchanges about my research:

Research stays:
- University of Perugia, Italy (May 26-June 7, 2024; with Professor Ester Bianchi, expert in modern and contemporary Chinese Buddhism)
- LMU Munich, Germany (December 9-14, 2025; with Professor Max Oidtmann, expert in late imperial history of China)
- Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou (March 15-April 6, 2025; Peking University, Nanjing University, Jinan University, China; for details, see my report)
Conference and workshop presentations:
- Workshop "Biographies of Chinese Buddhists in Past and Present," Hamburg Univeristy, February 14-15, 2025
- The 25th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS), Tallin University, Estonia, August 27-30, 2024
- Workshop "Embracing the Precepts and Committing to the Dharma: Governing Bodies across Buddhist Traditions", the University of Perugia, Italy, December 19, 2023
Organization of conference panels:
- (pending acceptance) "Localizing the Study of Buddhism in Late Imperial China" at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference (Vancouver, Canada, March 12-15, 2026)
- “Historical Evolution of Governing Buddhism and Buddhist Governing in China” at the 15th Annual Conference on Asian Studies – “Continuity and Change” (Palacký University, Olomouc, November 26–27, 2021)

For more on my activities, please visit my profile on Ghent University research information system (GISMO).