China Stories: Student Experiences Across Time and Borders: About

This initiative seeks to preserve and reflect on the diverse and vivid experiences of Duke and DKU students who have lived, studied, and traveled in China over the past four decades. Inspired by letters written by Duke students during the late 1980s and early 1990s and extending to the voices of current DKU students, this project brings together personal narratives, oral histories, and archival materials to document how individuals have navigated China’s profound social, political, and cultural transformations. By weaving these stories into a collective archive, the initiative aims to foreground lived experiences, foster cross-cultural understanding, and critically engage with global China studies. Ultimately, it seeks to reimagine the possibilities of transnational dialogue and institutional memory in an era of global uncertainty and shifting U.S.-China relations.