Research: Beyond Modernity and Diversity: Jesuits and Converts in Shaping Peaceful Shanghai (from the First Opium War to 1953)
Yiming ZHANG is currently a PhD student at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and the University of Naples “L’Orientale” in the Peace Studies program, specializing in “Identities, Memories, Religions, and Peace”.
Born in Shanghai during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and having lived in Italy during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zhang has cultivated an academic path enriched by significant intercultural experiences. These include two semesters as an exchange student at Kyung Hee University in Seoul (2012/2013), a bachelor's degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from Shanghai Normal University (2013/2014), and a master’s degree cum laude in Languages and Civilizations of Asia and Africa from the University of Florence (2022/2023). Professionally, Zhang has gained diverse experiences, including working as a primary school teacher (2014–2019), a tour guide (2018–2019), and an instructor of the Italian language (2021–2024).
His work is driven by a deep commitment to dismantling the “Great Wall” of prejudice and stereotypes, envisioning a new “Silk Road” that connects distant yet kindred cultures through bridges of peace and dialogue. Among the significant research projects he has contributed to in Italy are “Documenting Vulnerability and Care during Covid-19-induced Anti-Asian Racism and Violence in Italy and Canada” (2021) and “Analysis of the Autograph Manuscript of Matteo Ricci’s De Amicitia” (2022).
His academic research focuses on the influence of the Society of Jesus and Chinese converts in the modernization and pacification process of Shanghai (1840–1953). Specifically, he examines the collaboration between Jesuits and converts to uncover new perspectives on power relations, dynamics of resistance, and, most importantly, processes of peaceful transformation—dimensions that remain underexplored in historical scholarship.