I earned a BA degree in Philosophy from Fudan University, an MPhil degree in Government and International Studies from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), and MA, MPhil, and PhD degrees from Yale University. I joined Hong Kong Baptist University in August 2011.

My research examines civil society, the state-society relationship, grassroots organizing, and local governance, with a focus on contemporary China. I am the author of Disaster Management in China in a Changing Era (2015, Springer). I was awarded the Early Career Award for 2014/15 by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee.

I served as the coordinator of the Government and International Studies Programme at HKBU from 2018 to 2020. I am currently serving as the Director of the Global and China Studies Programme at HKBU.