Resume

• 2012

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

  Published three research papers/book chapters focusing on retail business and economic development\n\nPresented research findings at five national/international conferences\n\nReceived eight research grants from Texas A&M University and external institutions (over $31

  000)

  Anthropology

  Texas A&M University

  4.0/4.0

• 2008

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  Vice President

  Student Association of School of Sociology and Anthropology\n\nOrganizer

  Community Reconstruction Program after 2008 Sichuan Earthquake

  Anthropology

  Sun Yat-Sen University

  3.7/4.0

  Statistics in Research

  Quantitative Ethnographic Methods

  Applied Anthropology

  Methods of Anthropology

  Economic Ethnography

• Ethnography

  Microsoft PowerPoint

  Microsoft Excel

  STATA

  Report Writing

  Qualtrics

  Research Design

  User Experience Research

  Surveying

  Quantitative Research

  Market Research

  Human Factors Analysis

  Qualitative & Quantitative Research Method

  Teaching

  Microsoft Word

  Interviewing

  Data Analysis

  Food provision in Communist China: Formal Rationing and Informal Trade

  Food provision in Communist China: Formal Rationing and Informal Trade

  Today’s China has striven to exclude street vendors through political campaigns such as “National Sanitary City” and “National Civilized City.” Such campaigns pursue modernity and beautiful urban spaces by deeming street vendors to be disorderly

  unsanitary

  and obsolete. Taking a single Chinese city as a case study

  this research analyzes why and how local bureaucratic apparatuses apply rapidly-changing and ambiguous political treatment to street vendors. This research also examines street vendors’ struggles and coping strategies with these ever-changing politics.The data for this study were obtained during a total of ten months of fieldwork

  beginning in 2013 and ending in 2016. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifty-one street vendors and six government officials; additionally

  the researcher consulted newspaper reports

  archives

  and relevant official publications.\n

  Struggles with Changing Politics: Street Vendor Livelihoods in Contemporary China

  The Economic Revolution and Reform in Rural China

  Department Stores in Mao’s China

  Alleviating Human-land Conflicts in Fengghuang: Perspectives of Development Anthropology

  Soaring Fenghuang: Interpreting a Mountain Hakka Town from Perspectives of Development Anthropology

  Street Vendors in a Coastal City of China: Livelihoods

  Vitality and Resistance

  Street Vendors’ Struggles and Strategies Confronting Changing Politics: A Case Study in China

  From the 1920s to the 1980s

  in certain Western countries

  the “retail revolution” in the grocery sector brought about a nearly complete transformation from mom-and-pop stores and corner groceries to supermarket chains. One might have also expected this retail revolution to occur in China

  because of its impressive economic development

  rapid urbanization

  and more importantly

  the state’s ongoing pursuit of “modernity.” The complicated reality

  however

  is that though modern trade is rapidly developing

  “traditional” food retail channel – open-air markets– have been on the rise for the past three decades

  and continue to dominate the market. This paper asks: why have open-air markets

  rather than supermarket chains

  emerged as the dominant players in the food retail regime in modern and developing China? Is the current prosperity of traditional food trade sustainable? The data for this research is based on 15 months of fieldwork in Sanya

  a coastal city of China. This paper underscores the unexpected resilience and vitality of the open-air markets

  which rests on micro-level interactions among politics

  traders

  and consumers. First

  my research argues that

  instead of destroying traditional food markets

  the city government’s efforts to modernize the marketplaces (e.g. redevelopment plan) inadvertently brought new opportunities to them. Furthermore

  my research clarifies the complicated dynamics of the open-air markets by demonstrating how they embedded in the food trade system and traders’ social networks. Finally

  it is found that open-air markets adapt to a food culture which has an obsession with “local food” and freshness. Ultimately

  this paper demonstrates the significance of traditional marketplaces on establishing sustainable foodways and urban life. The findings of this paper are useful for governments of some developing countries to develop alternative solutions such as gentrification rather than thoroughly eliminating traditional food markets.\n

  The Resilience of Traditional Food Markets in a Chinese City: An Analysis Based on Food Consumption Culture

  Shuru

  Zhong

  Texas A&M University

  Texas A&M University

  Freelance

  Sun Yat-sen University

  Guangzhou

  Guangdong

  China

  Postdoctoral Researcher

  Sun Yat-sen University

  United States

  Independently taught all components of two courses on anthropological concepts and methods\n\nOrganized and advised 110+ students to conduct ethnographic projects and to write \nfieldwork/interview reports\n\nAssisted professors in preparation of lectures

  created and graded exams

  facilitated class discussions\n\nAchieved excellent teaching evaluation 4.7/5.0\n

  Lecturer and Teaching Assistant

  Texas A&M University

  Worked as a UX consultant for a supermarket chain in China\n\nDesigned and implemented a research project to find out consumers' pain points during shopping in the fresh produce section\n\nModerated 304 face-to-face consumer surveys

  conducted contextual inquiries

  mapped consumer shopping journey\n\nAnalyzed research data in STATA and profiled three distinct user personas\n\nParticipated in optimizing the product assortments

  proposed innovative marketing strategies \n\nProduce sales increased by 16% in the following quarter

  Freelance

  Texas A&M University

  United States

  Address how and why supermarkets have obstacles on food sales competing with the dominating farmers’ markets in China \n\nCollect data based on 18-month fieldwork study in 19 cities of China; research methods include archival research

  contextual inquiries in various marketplaces

  and interviews with government officials

  supermarket managers

  food retailers and producers\n\nAnalyze the strengths

  weakness

  opportunities

  and threats of both farmers’ markets and supermarkets in terms of supply chains

  government policies

  and consumer culture; complete a 300-page doctoral dissertation \n\nContribute to local governments’ policy-making process of planning

  upgrading and developing food marketplaces\n\n

  Office of Graduate and Professional Studies Dissertation Fellow

  American Anthropological Association

  Cantonese

  English

  Chinese

  Outstanding Undergraduate Student Scholarship

  Awarded First-class Award twice (2009

  2010)

  and Third-class Award once (2010)

  Sun Yat-sen University

  Graduate Research Fellowship

  Awarded $2

  000 to conduct a research project titled \"Traditional Food Retailer in Urban China\".

  MelBern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research

  Outstanding Graduates Award

  Awarded to top 5% students of the graduating class with excellent academic performances

  Sun Yat-sen University

  Graduate Student Travel Grant

  Awarded $1

  100 to attend Urban Affairs Association 48th Annual Conference in Toronto

  Canada.

  Department of Anthropology

  Texas A&M University

  Fieldwork Research Grant

  Awarded $1

  450 to conduct a research project titled \"Street Vendor Livelihoods in a Chinese City\"

  Department of Anthropology

  Texas A&M University

  Graduate Student Travel Grant

  Awarded $1

  422 to attend Annual Meeting of American Anthropological Association in Denver

  CO (2015) and in Washington DC (2014)\n

  Department of Anthropology

  Texas A&M University

  Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Global Foundation Scholarship

  Sun Yat-sen University

  Conference Travel Award

  Awarded $750 to attend an academic conference

  Office of Graduate and Professional Studies

  Texas A&M University

  Dissertation Improvement Grant

  Awarded $4

  600 to conduct fieldwork research for my dissertation

  Texas A&M University

  Graduate Student Travel Grant

  Awarded $700 to attend \"Graduate Seminar on China \" at Chinese University of Hong Kong

  Department of Anthropology

  Texas A&M University

  Dissertation Fellowship

  Awarded to only 15 graduate students at TAMU each academic year\nReceived $21

  324 to support dissertation writing

  Office of Graduate and Professional Studies

  Texas A&M University