Sharon Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate in History since Spring 2022. Her dissertation delves into the intricate material and cultural exchanges involved in gift-giving rituals between China and other parts of the world, particularly as reflected in foreign relations in the Mongol-Yuan era. Her research aims to explore how the circulation of tributary gifts facilitated the formation of transregional networks in the global medieval world.
Sharon’s broader academic interests extend to foreign policies in Middle Period China, medieval Eurasian travelers along the overland and maritime Silk Road, and spatial and digital methods for Chinese studies. Prior to coming to Pitt, Sharon received her M.A. in History from North Carolina State University. She also completed an intensive language training in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley.
Fields
Mongol-Yuan China, Sino-foreign relations, History of Travel, Global History, Digital Humanities.
Conference Presentations
“More than Gift-giving: Mongol Yuan China in a Eurasian World of Tributary Exchanges.” 52nd Annual Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies Conference. November 2-3, 2024, University of Delaware, Newark, DE.
“Mapping the Land of Cathay: Exploratory Agenda of the Medieval Papacy to China under Mongol Rule.” 2024 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference in Premodern Studies at the Newberry Library. February 1-3, 2024, Chicago, IL.
“The Heavenly Horse Sent by Papal Envoys: Gift-giving and Ritual Communications in Late Yuan China.” 2023 Stanford-Berkeley Graduate Student Conference on Premodern Chinese Humanities. March 31-April 1, 2023, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
“Village Gazetteer as a Genre of Chinese Local Chronicles: An Introduction to Contemporary Chinese Village Gazetteer Data (CCVG Data).” Conference on Rural Society and Politics in China, April 22-23, 2022, Pittsburgh, PA.
“Church Dedicator: Catholic Missionaries and Cross-cultural Exchanges in Mongol Eurasia (1206-1368).” The 26th Annual Association of Central Eurasian Students Conference (ACES), February 29th, 2020, Bloomington, IN.
“Interdisciplinary Pedagogical Approaches to Building Place-energized Undergraduate Research in Study Abroad Experience.” The Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (SEC/AAS), January 17th-19th, 2020, Sarasota, FL.
“The Luoyang Nestorian Stone Pillar and the Sinicization in Tang Dynasty.” The 25th Annual Conference of World History Association (WHA), July 2nd-5th, 2016, Ghent, Belgium.
Research Grants
2024–2025 Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship
2023–2024 Arts and Sciences Graduate Fellowship
2022–2023 Social Science Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
2021–2022 Thomas and Evelyn Rawski Graduate Student Research Fellowship in Chinese Studies
2021–2022 Chancellor’s Fellowship in China and Chinese Studies
2020–2021 University of Pittsburgh Arts and Sciences Graduate Fellowship
Advisor
Dr. Ruth Mostern