Xinyuan Li

Xinyuan Li

I’m Li Xinyuan (Li is my last name), pronounced close to lee-SHEEN-yuEN. I grew up north of Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, a metropolis on the eastern coast of China, where my family has lived a simple life for generations, I spent my entire childhood and teenage years in the city. Being an only child and not having many relatives, I spent most of my time experiencing the city I lived in. I got a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at a University in Shanghai, despite the fact that my family and almost everyone I know thinks I should be studying science. It’s my first time in Durham, my first time in the Americas, and the first time I’ve felt scenes from popular entertainment become part of my daily life. I love traveling, but I haven’t been to many places outside of China: Cambodia, Germany, and Japan. I enjoyed riding a shared bicycle through the streets of Shanghai. It was a great pleasure for me, even just enjoying the city skyline from a high platform. I haven’t figured out what my future should be like yet. I might do my PhD here and carry out my sociological or interdisciplinary research, or maybe I’ll find a job here or back in China, but it all depends on opportunity. I do hope to make many friends in this GLS family!