Kaijun Chen is Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at Brown University, USA. His research focuses on the material culture of late imperial China, with particular emphasis on court porcelain and the circulation of artisan knowledge between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. He has published widely in journals such as Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, and Reviews, History of Technology, Arts of Asia, and the Rao Zongyi Bulletin. His 2023 monograph, Porcelain for the Emperor (University of Washington Press), offers an in-depth analysis of the technocratic bureaucracy involved in porcelain production during the Qing dynasty. In addition, he co-edited the volume Making the Palace Machine Work with Professor Dorothy Ko and others, which systematically examines the role of the Qing Imperial Household Department in the fiscal management of handicraft industries, the institutionalization of specialized knowledge, and the imperial technoscience of nature.

During his stay at the International Center for Studies of Chinese Civilization, Fudan University, Chen Kaijun will conduct research on the material culture of late imperial China, with particular attention to court porcelain, artisan knowledge, and the institutional mechanisms of imperial production.

Chen Kaijun will be a visiting scholar at the International Center for Studies of Chinese Civilization, Fudan University, from May 2026 to July 2026.