Stochastic Volatility X DKU: Conversation with Three Top Female Podcasters
In celebration of 2025 DKU Library Book Fair, the Duke Kunshan University (DKU) Library, in collaboration with Gender Studies Lab of the Humanities Research Center (HRC), the Environmental Research Center (ERC), and the Cultures and Movements Major, presents a feature event titled “Stochastic Volatility X DKU | A Conversation with Three Top Female Podcasters.”
We are delighted to welcome the three hosts of Stochastic Volatility (随机波动)—Zhiqi Zhang, Shiye Fu, and Jianguo Leng—for an in-depth conversation. Described by TIME as “the largest feminist-themed podcast in China”, Stochastic Volatility has captivated over three million subscribers across various platforms since its inception in 2020.
This time, the hosts come with their new book series, “Stochastic Library” (Gender: Female, Praise Without Silence), which delves not only into the challenges faced by women but also into broader social realities. During this dynamic conversation, the trio of esteemed female media professionals will reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of the new publications, discuss the remarkable rise of their podcast. Anchored by unique gender and environmental narratives, the discussion will also explore the multifaceted spectrum of contemporary gender issues and their interaction with the environment.
Time: April 22, Tuesday, 4:00-5:15pm
Venue: LIB 2001
Registration: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3DlKmjjqMZEkmfY
Or scan here to register:
Language: The session will be delivered in Chinese and simultaneous interpretation into English will be provided.
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Moderators
Dr. Binbin Li
Associate Professor of Environmental Science, Duke Kunshan University
Dr. Binbin Li is the Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University. She holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She got her PhD in Environment from Duke University and focuses on the synergy between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development under climate change.
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Mengjie Zou
Interim University Librarian at Duke Kunshan University
Mengjie Zou is the current Interim University Librarian and Research and Instruction Librarian at Duke Kunshan University. She joined Duke Kunshan University in 2014 and received her Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.
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Speakers
From left to right: Jianguo Leng, Zhiqi Zhang, Shiye Fu
Zhiqi Zhang
Host of Stochastic Volatility
Media professional and podcast producer. She received her Master’s degree in Anthropology from Columbia University, and her Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Tsinghua University. Former journalist at Jiemian Culture.
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Shiye Fu
Host of Stochastic Volatility
Media professional and podcast producer. She received her Master’s degree in Anthropology from Columbia University and Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Wuhan University. Former journalist at The Paper and Jiemian Culture.
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Jianguo Leng
Host of Stochastic Volatility
Media professional. She received her degree from the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University.
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About Stochastic Volatility
Stochastic Volatility (随机波动) was founded in March 2020 by Zhiqi Zhang, Shiye Fu, and Jianguo Leng, and has amassed over 3 million subscribers across all platforms. More than just a Chinese-language culture podcast, Stochastic Volatility is a multifaceted content platform featuring collaborative writing, visual projects, an interactive mailbox, and more.
In 2024, their publication Grid (格) was released and was shortlisted for the Tokyo TDC Annual Design Awards. Their upcoming book series, Stochastic Library, is set to launch in April 2025.
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New Publications
Title: Gender: Female (Stochastic Library 01)
Author: Stochastic Volatility
Publisher: New Star Press
Year of Publication: 2025
Overview:
Have you ever felt like you’re not “new” enough?
Does learning feminist theory make a real difference in our daily lives?
How do newly awakened women navigate a world that still feels stagnant?
This is the first installment of the Stochastic Library series. As women who are both old and new, how do we confront the specific challenges of life? Gender: Female delves into gender identity and the emotions it brings—confusion, anger, disappointment, and inspiration. Topics include gender-based violence, sex education, mother-daughter relationships, cyborg feminism, women in creative fields, and more. Featured guests include Liu Wenli (researcher in children’s sex education), Yan Yi & Yan Yue (stand-up comedians), and writers Zhang Yueran, Dan Bao, and Ni Zhanju, among others. Together, they explore women’s experiences, creative expressions, and the possibilities of gender equality—past, present, and future.
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Title: Praise Without Silence (Stochastic Library 02)
Author: Stochastic Volatility
Publisher: New Star Press
Year of Publication: 2025
Overview:
In an age of uncertainty, how do we find our bearings?
How can we move beyond binary oppositions to understand the world in context?
When meaning feels lost, do we still have a civic or intellectual responsibility?
This second installment of the Stochastic Library series features in-depth conversations on the research and writings of scholars such as Huang Xincun, Wang Min’an, Wu Hong, Chen Danqing, Wang Dewei, and Wang Yan. The book also addresses contemporary concerns, including discussions with Luo Xin on history’s relevance to the present and societal shifts before and after the pandemic, and with Sun Ge on insights following Japan’s nuclear wastewater crisis. These dialogues reveal enduring intellectual threads and offer pathways from theory to real-world impact.
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We look forward to meeting you in the resonance of soundwaves and words.
Event Report – Women’s Literature and Representation: A Roundtable Discussion
Reported by Yuting Zeng, Class of 2026.
On the evening of March 24, 2025, a roundtable discussion was held under the theme of “Women’s Literature and Representation,” co-hosted by Yuqing Wang and Yuting Zeng. The event featured three invited speakers: Professor Wenting Ji, Professor Zairong Xiang, and Professor Don Snow, each contributing insights from their research on tanci fiction, mythological retellings, and regional songbooks respectively. The discussion drew over twenty attendees, including students and faculty, and created a space for critical thinking across disciplines.
The event opened with brief introductions to the panelists and the texts under discussion: Destiny of Rebirth 再生缘, The Legend of the White Snake 白蛇传, and Chaozhou Gece 潮州歌册. These works, though differing in form and origin, all center on women’s voices—whether through authorial agency, regional oral storytelling, or symbolic mythology.
Structured in three parts—contextual framing, gender and power, and narrative technique—the discussion touched on diverse issues: the preservation of women’s stories in oral traditions, cross-dressing and gender performance in female-authored fiction, and the metaphorical richness of The Legend of the White Snake across its multiple versions.
Professor Snow generously shared precious archival materials from Chaozhou Gece, offering participants a rare glimpse into the manuscript culture and oral storytelling traditions of southern China. He explained how these narrative songs—often composed and circulated by women—were preserved through oral performance and later published by local shufang (书坊, bookshops or print houses), providing an alternative, regional archive for women’s voices.
Professor Ji explored how cross-dressing in Destiny of Rebirth operates not just as a plot device, but as a lens for negotiating gender identity and social constraints. Her analysis emphasized the significance of female authorship in shaping narrative techniques that depart from male-dominated conventions in scholar-beauty romances.
Professor Xiang offered a concise introduction to queer theory, helping participants understand how queerness operates not only through characters or identities but also as a lens to read narrative structure, desire, and transformation. He then guided the audience through a range of versions of The Legend of the White Snake, from folk narratives and vernacular novels to stage plays and modern adaptations. By mapping the shifts across these forms, Professor Xiang demonstrated how the White Snake story has continually transformed to reflect evolving cultural and gender expectations.
The Q&A session invited further reflection on the texts’ relevance today, drawing links between premodern literary forms and ongoing questions of gender identity, representation, and cultural memory. This roundtable was not just a conversation about literature—it was an invitation to rethink narrative power, gendered histories, and the act of reading itself. Through intersecting perspectives, the event underscored how texts from the past continue to shape and challenge our understanding of women’s roles, both real and imagined.
To Grow Affinity with Whom? Shifting Modes of Engagement of Chinese Buddhism in East Africa
Location: LIB1117
Time: Mar. 31, 2025, 4:30-5:25pm & 5:30-7:00pm
Speaker: Yu Qiu
4:30pm workshop: Between Worlds, Beneath Gazes: Gendered Fieldwork in Afro-Chinese Encounters
5:30pm talk: To grow affinity with whom? Shifting modes of engagement of Chinese Buddhism in East Africa
The GSL Workshop Series is proud to present these events! Join to listen to Zhejiang University social anthropologist Yu Qiu, whose primary research focuses are: intimacy, migration, ethics, and identity politics, with fieldwork experience in Nigeria, Tanzania, and China. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Open Times, and Journal of African Cultural Studies.
Scan to Sign Up!
Pizza & drinks provided.
Between Worlds, Beneath Gazes: Gendered Fieldwork in Afro-Chinese Encounters
Time: March 31, 4:30 PM
Location: LIB1117
Speaker: Yu Qiu
The GSL Workshop Series is proud to present this event! Join the talk for Yu Qiu, a social anthropologist at Zhejiang University. Her research focuses on intimacy, migration, ethics, and identity politics, with fieldwork experience in Nigeria, Tanzania, and China. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Open Times, and Journal of African Cultural Studies.
Scan to Sign Up!
Pizzas & drinks provided.
DKU History Professors Receive UNESCO Grant Award
The HRC is proud to announce that Museums as Transnational Heritage Hubs: Civilian War Victims, Memory Networks, and Global Recognition, led by DKU History Professors Dr. Kolleen Guy and Dr. Jay Winter, has been awarded funding through the Transnational Heritage Joint Research Grants, supported by UNESCO.
This project builds on the foundational work of Professor Guy and Professor Jay’s Parapolitics of Empathy project, exploring how museums, especially those dedicated to Jewish refugees in WWII-era Shanghai and the ‘comfort women’ experience across East Asia, serve as transnational heritage hubs. It aims to create new frameworks for historical justice and global recognition of civilian wartime trauma.
The HRC congratulates Professor Guy and Professor Jay, and looks forward to the continued progress of this substantial research!
Event Recap: Navigating China’s Archives: A Hands-On Guide for Emerging Researchers
Reported by Disty Mahmud, the Class of 2026 & Yuruo Zhang, the Class of 2027.
On March 19th, the Archives and History Initiative hosted a presentation featuring Professors Lei Lin, Qian Zhu, and Andrew Field. The event explored strategies for accessing and utilizing China’s archival materials, both physically and digitally, drawing from the professors’ research experiences.
Professor Lei Lin: Archives of China’s Qing Dynasty
Professor Lei Lin, an assistant professor of Chinese History, focused on Qing dynasty (1644–1912) archival research. She introduced Qing archives, distinguishing between primary archival sources and secondary historiographical materials. She highlighted key government documents such as imperial edicts (Shangyu), palace memorials (Zouzhe), and routine memorials (Tiben), also noting the emperor’s red-script annotations (Pihong). She also discussed Manchu-language memorials, which were rarely translated to Chinese due to the Manchu background of government officials.
Professor Lin shared examples of archival collections, including wartime communications between Qing officials and generals, compiled into books for retrieval. She provided guidance on accessing digital archives, such as the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and unpublished materials from the First Historical Archives in Beijing and Nanjing. She also explained the structure of provincial archives, like those in Shanghai, and accessing physical archives with a Chinese national ID (or foreign passport) and an institutional letter from a DKU professor.
During the Q&A, a student asked why unpublished archives remain restricted. Professor Lei explained that archives also serve national accountability, and restricted historical materials allow for manipulation of narratives to the public. She also addressed a question on historical sources beyond archival documents.
Professor Qian Zhu: Researching 20th-Century China
Professor Qian Zhu’s presentation focused on archival research in 20th-century China, highlighting resources accessible both at Duke and online. She introduced some key off-campus archives. The Second Historical Archives of China (SHAC) in Nanjing (http://shac.net.cn/sy_59/) was mentioned. Visiting this spot requires an appointment, a valid ID, and an introduction letter from a DKU professor. Also, Shanghai Municipal Library (https://www.library.sh.cn/) was brought to the conversation. It is open to the public with an ID and library card. A Digital Humanities Platform can be visited by clicking https://dhc.library.sh.cn/, which offers free scanned copies of documents.
On top of that, she introduced Duke University’s online resources, such as primary source databases like the Chinese studies collections, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, and the Chinese Newspapers Collection. Additionally, she highlighted Late Qing and Republic of China (Minguo) Periodicals housed at the National Library in Beijing and an OCR tool that converts PDFs and images into editable text, with translation capabilities.
For digital archives, Professor Zhu recommended several other resources, including: the WeChat account Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan and Overseas Historical Materials (港澳台及海外历史文献), Guangdong-HK-Macau Special Archive Digital Platform (https://www.zslib.com.cn/jingtaiyemian/yga/nav.html), Literature and Periodicals in Republican China (https://cadal.hytung.com.cn/), and Digital Image Collections of the Republic of China (http://www.minguotupian.com/).
Professor Zhu concluded by reflecting on how archives “speak” to researchers. She emphasized that interpretation is shaped by the person’s background and knowledge, making historical and cultural context crucial when working with archival materials. She also discussed how archives both reflect power structures and reveal hidden narratives.
Professor Andrew Field: The Role of Archives in Historical Research
In the final presentation, Professor Andrew Field emphasized the importance of archival research for historians. Not only in terms of deep engagement with sources but also in building connections with like-minded scholars. He also highlighted the need for persistence and patience when working with archives and archivists.
He then shared the case of the Shanghai Municipal Police files, a collection of intelligence records smuggled out of Shanghai in 1949 by the CIA due to their data on global communist activities. Originally hidden in Langley, these files were later declassified through the Freedom of Information Act by a couple of historians and are now housed in the U.S. National Archives. The documents provide valuable insights into daily life and nightlife in Shanghai during that period.
Professor Field concluded with a reminder to the audience: “Archive your personal life”, emphasizing the value of documenting your own experiences as a way of memory.
The event saw an estimated attendance of 37 students and faculty. The presentations were enjoyed with snacks and drinks catering. To learn more about DKU’s Archives and History Initiative and be updated on our events, email student coordinators Yuruo Zhang (yuruo.zhang@dukekunshan.edu.cn) or Disty Mahmud (andhisty.mahmud@dukekunshan.edu.cn), to be added to the WeChat group.
Female+Literature Roundtable Discussion
Date: 3/24 (Monday) 6:30-7:30 pm
Location: Performance Cafe
Introduction:
From the classic Chinese tale The Legend of the White Snake (白蛇传) and its various adaptations to oral traditions and their written counterparts in tanci (弹词) and Chaozhou gece (潮州歌册), women have long occupied central roles in literature—as protagonists, dedicated readers, and even authors. This roundtable brings together DKU faculty members Don Snow, Zairong Xiang, and Wenting Ji to share their experiences working with these fascinating literary texts and to offer insights into women’s literature and gender representation.
All are welcome! Domino’s pizza and refreshments will be provided. Scan the QR code to join our group and stay updated on future events.
Congratulations to the Students Accepted for the HRC Spring 2025 Conference
The HRC is thrilled to announce the acceptance of 35 undergraduate students who will present their submissions at the 2025 Spring Conference. A huge congratulations to all the students selected!
| DKU Students | Students from Shanghai | |||
| 1. Feng Ruyi | 8. Luong Nga | 15. Nie Shenglang | 22. Yin Chengxi | 1. Guo Eva |
| 2. Fenh Haoxin | 9. Luo Feifei | 16. Wang Xiaosang | 23. Yun Emma | 2. Huang Leqian |
| 3. Gan Zuo Rui | 10. Lyu Dongkun | 17. Wang Yuqing | 24. Zeng Yuting | 3. Stewart Shauna |
| 4. Gao Mingjiang | 11. Lyu Yizhi | 18. Wu Vicky Yongkun | 25. Zhang Canran | 4. Wang Wuyou |
| 5. Gu Helene | 12. Mao Tongyu | 19. Xu Wenjing | 26. Zhang Isabelle | 5. Wieczorkiewicz Marta Ewelina |
| 6. Liao Xinyu | 13. Mills Ethan | 20. Yanakiev Philip | 27. Ngo Hana | 6. Xu Jingxuan |
| 7. Luong Hang | 14. Mulualem Mary | 21. Yang Tong | 28. Xu Ang | 7. Zhou Yiwen |
We look forward to their insightful contributions and exciting presentations!
Joking, Swearing, Translating: Two Days on Intercultural Translation
Have you ever wondered why some jokes don’t translate well into another language? Or how profanity in different languages and dialects can impart incisive wisdom or even express poetic beauty? Two Days on Intercultural Translation opens the gateway to the hilarious, tricky, and thought-provoking world of cross-cultural storytelling.
Two Days on Intercultural Translation invites you into the fascinating, hilarious, and sometimes tricky world of cross-cultural storytelling. Featuring award-winning translators and poets Jessica Cohen, Jennifer Kronovet, Ken Liu, Austin Woerner, and Jenny Xie, this two-day event explores the challenges and artistry of translating humor, swearing, and everything in between.
Get ready for insightful discussions where language gets messy, witty, and wonderfully complex!
Event Details
Day 1: March 28 | 10:00 – 11:00 AM (BJT) | Zoom
Zoom ID: 382 860 0131
A roundtable discussion featuring:
- Jessica Cohen – Hebrew literary translator, International Booker Prize winner (2017), Guggenheim Fellow (2021).
- Jennifer Kronovet – Translator of Chinese and Yiddish poetry, Editor of Circumference Books.
Moderated by Professor Yitzhak Lewis.
This is a great opportunity to gain insight into the world of intercultural translation from some of the most accomplished professionals in the field. Stay tuned for more details on Day 2!
Hope to see you there!
Join Us For Prof. Eben Kirksey Lecture: Big Sugar Made Big COVID: How Metabolic Rifts Made Us Vulnerable to a Virus
Why are coronaviruses actively circulating among people and animals? Is the common narrative about Wuhan as the epicenter of COVID-19 fundamentally flawed? How has industrial agriculture—especially sugar production—disrupted ecological and metabolic processes, making both bats and humans more vulnerable to pandemics?
In this compelling lecture, Professor Eben Kirksey (University of Oxford) presents insights from extended field research in Southeast Asia using multispecies ethnographic methods. By tracing the connections between deforestation, bat stress, and viral spillover, this talk will challenge mainstream pandemic narratives and propose a broader understanding of ecological vulnerability.
