Academic Bio
Carol Fan is a doctoral student in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, where she studies Islamic history of Central Eurasia under the supervision of Prof. John Woods. Her master’s thesis, entitled “Chen Cheng’s Xiyu Fanguo Zhi: a Full Translation,” introduces Chen Cheng’s fifteenth century ambassadorial excursion from the Ming court in China to the Timurids based on the newly discovered sources and provides a full English translation of his report. Her current research explores the Mongols and the spread of Islam in China. Prior to Chicago, Fan attained a bachelor’s and a master’s in Arabic Language and Literature from Beijing Language and Culture University.