The mission of Yenching Academy of Peking University is to equip outstanding young scholars with a broad, interdisciplinary knowledge of China that reflects both Chinese and international perspectives, and to cultivate leaders who will advocate for global progress and cultural understanding. The program offers interdisciplinary classroom and field study of Chinese history and culture, as well as real-time issues in China’s development. The UW became a partner University in 2015.
View the Yenching Academy Scholars directory for a comprehensive list of scholars.
2023 – 2024 Scholar
Wen Eckelberg
2024 graduate, American Ethnic Studies & English: Creative Writing
Wen is the first generation in her maternal family born in the United States, but her maternal great-great-great-great-grandfather was among the earliest Chinese immigrants to America in 1850. Her Chinese ancestors include gold prospectors, labor contractors, Angel Island translators, and U.S. military policemen. Despite America’s attempts to erase the history and culture of many people of color, her family has encouraged her to think critically of Western narratives and to embrace her Cantonese/Taishanese language and culture.
Wen is a student of American Ethnic Studies (AES) and English: Creative Writing at the University of Washington (UW), with honors distinction in both disciplines. She has a passion for poetry, often writing about her Chinese American community, and experiences with chronic illness, including stepping away from UW’s rowing team due to health complications. Within AES, she is a research assistant for Dr. Oliver Rollins, assisting with projects involving science, racism, social justice, and the law. She was an assistant coordinator for the Women’s Center’s Summer Bridge program, helping secondary students of color. She combined all her interests by working as a primary writer and assistant editor on two City of Seattle-financed comic novellas, In a Yellow Tone, and later, KingDOOM: How Protesters Saved Seattle’s Chinatown International District (a work in progress).
Wen’s English honors thesis researches the life of the Chinese in America under exclusion and detention through the examination of Angel Island Detention Center poetry, carved into the walls by detained Chinese (1910-1940), and Songs of Gold Mountain (1987). Her AES honors thesis explores Seattle’s Chinese history, connecting her personal family history to the general story of the Chinese American experience, with inclusions of her original poetry. Both theses explore Chinese American identity and the lingering impacts of historical Chinese activity in America.
At the Yenching Academy of Peking University in Beijing, Wen intends to explore literature as a means of viewing history, culture, and philosophy. Wen hopes to improve her Chinese language literacy and examine literature written by both the Chinese in America and those still in China to paint a more complete picture of the Chinese American experience. She is also interested in the bilingual poetry tradition and how Cantonese/Chinese may be incorporated to better represent Chinese American identity.
Wen’s near-term and long-term goals: Wen hopes to apply her AES and Creative Writing degrees and time abroad in China to pursue a law degree or PhD and promote a better understanding between communities—between academia and communities of color, and between the United States and China. Whether she becomes a professor, lawyer, or writer, Wen believes gaining a greater understanding of different cultures and history will enable her to powerfully represent her communities and people whose perspectives are vitally important.
Wen’s tips for future applicants: Reflect on why you want to study in China, and how studying in China is relevant to your academic interests and future goals!
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