Dr. Jin’s research focuses on literary and cultural transmutations in late imperial China and early Republican era (c.a. 1500–1930) as mediated by narratives. She examines an array of literary and cultural texts, including propaganda, fiction, drama, diaries, and memoirs. Her first book project explores literature and culture centered around the Taiping Civil War (1851–1864) to investigate the profound changes in late imperial literary and cultural paradigms under the pressure of violence. She has published a series of articles on nineteenth-century literature and culture. Her current project studies the transformative period of the literati novel during the sixteenth century. 

Research Interests

Late imperial Chinese literature, Modern Chinese literature, history of the book, media studies 

Representative Publications

Books: 

The Collapse of Heaven: The Taiping Civil War (1851–1864) and Chinese Literature and Culture (1850–1880), Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, March 2024.

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters: 

"Possibilities at the Formative Stage of the Vernacular Chinese Novel: A Study of San Sui pingyao zhuan" (Three Sui Queling the Demon's Revolt)." Journal of the American Oriental Society, January 2024.

“Duochong tazhe: Taiping tianguo shiqi de shenfen zhengzhi” 多重它者：太平天國時期的身份政治In Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies 嶺南學報, 13, 2021, 1–18. 

“The Multitude of Otherness During the Taiping Civil War," in The Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture,7 (1), April 2020, 215–231.  

“Stitching Words to Suture Wounds: A Manuscript Diary from the Taiping Civil War (1851–1864)” in Late Imperial China, 40 (2), December 2019, 141–182. 

“Authenticating the Renewed Heavenly Vision: The Taiping Heavenly Chronicle (Taiping tianri)” in Frontiers of History in China, 13 (2), July 2018. 173–192. 

“Violence and the Evolving Face of Yao in Taiping Propaganda” in Journal of Religion and Violence, 6 (1), May 2018. 127-144.  

“A Chinese Utopia called the Heavenly Kingdom” in Harvard New Literary History of Modern China, edited by David Wang, Cambridge: Harvard University, 2017. 79–85