My name is Yi Shan 鄯毅 (Shàn Yì). I am the East Asian Studies Librarian at UT Austin. I am trained as a historian of early modern East Asia. My research interests include intellectual history, material culture, history of religion, and Digital Humanities. I am passionate about using digital tools to visualize, interpret, and teach about the past. 

My first book manuscript will be about the material and spiritual aspects of intellectual changes in eighteenth-century China. At the same time, I am also designing and developing a digital tool to visualize and analyze Chinese antiquarianism from the tenth to the twentieth century. 

I was born and raised in Taiyuan, Shanxi in China. I received my BA from Nanjing University and PhD in East Asian History from The Ohio State University, and I am currently working towards a degree of Master of Information at University of Toronto. 

When I am not studying or writing, I love strolling in nature, riding trains, reading Japanese detective fictions, and visiting museums.