Peter K. Bol, the Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, has established himself as a preeminent scholar in Chinese history and digital humanities. After earning his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1980, he has dedicated his career to understanding China's cultural elites from the Tang to Ming dynasties. His groundbreaking works include "This Culture of Ours: Intellectual Transitions in T'ang and Sung China" and "Neo-Confucianism in History," which have fundamentally shaped the field of Chinese intellectual history. As Harvard's Vice Provost (2013-2018), he revolutionized digital learning through HarvardX and co-developed ChinaX with William Kirby, reaching over 45,000 students globally. His innovative contributions extend to founding the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis and directing major digital initiatives like the China Historical Geographic Information System and the China Biographical Database, which contains information on 470,000 historical figures. Bol's expertise spans multiple languages including Chinese, Japanese, and English, and his research has earned widespread recognition for combining traditional scholarship with cutting-edge digital methodologies

Wai-yee Li has been a Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University since 2000, specializing in late imperial Chinese literature, early Chinese thought, and the intersections of gender and sexuality. She earned her BA from the University of Hong Kong and her PhD from Princeton University in 1987, where she later served as an associate professor. Her significant works include "Women and National Trauma in Late Imperial Chinese Literature" (2014), which explores the representation of women during periods of political upheaval, and "The Readability of the Past in Early Chinese Historiography" (2007), examining how historical narratives shape cultural memory. Li has also contributed to the understanding of premodern fiction and drama through her extensive publications, including translations and critical analyses. She has received numerous fellowships and grants from prestigious institutions such as the Harvard Society of Fellows and the American Academy in Berlin. Her teaching encompasses a wide range of topics, including Ming-Qing culture, historiography, and premodern literature, making her a key figure in contemporary Chinese literary studies.

Stephen Owen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, specializing in medieval Chinese literature, lyric poetry, and comparative poetics. He earned his B.A. and Ph.D. in Chinese Language from Yale University, where he taught before joining Harvard in 1982. Recognized for his interdisciplinary approach, Owen was awarded the James Bryant Conant Professorship in 1997 and has received numerous accolades including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award. His influential works include "An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911," "The Making of Early Chinese Classical Poetry," and "The Late Tang: Chinese Poetry of the Mid-Ninth Century." Owen's scholarship has significantly advanced the study of Chinese poetry and historiography, making him a leading figure in sinology. His contributions extend to teaching and mentoring, as he continues to inspire students through his courses on premodern literature and comparative poetics

Michael Puett has transformed understanding of early Chinese thought through innovative interdisciplinary approaches spanning history, anthropology, and philosophy. After earning his PhD from the University of Chicago's Department of Anthropology in 1994, he built an extraordinary career at Harvard University, where he serves as Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology. His groundbreaking research explores relationships between religion, ritual, and philosophy in early China, demonstrated in influential works like "The Ambivalence of Creation" and "To Become a God". His General Education course "Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory" has become one of Harvard's most popular undergraduate courses, while his teaching excellence has earned him multiple awards including the Harvard College Professorship and Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Prize. Through his leadership roles including Chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion and Program Director of Social Anthropology, he continues to advance interdisciplinary scholarship while making Chinese philosophical traditions accessible to contemporary audiences. His achievements include election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Science and numerous visiting appointments at institutions worldwide.

Wai-yee Li (李惠儀) has transformed the study of Chinese literature through groundbreaking scholarship spanning early to late imperial periods. After earning her BA from the University of Hong Kong and PhD from Princeton University in 1987, she built an extraordinary career examining Chinese literary and cultural history. As the 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard since 2000, she has authored influential works including "The Promise and Peril of Things" and "Women and National Trauma in Late Imperial Chinese Literature". Her research explores intersections between literature, gender, and historical memory, while her recent work examines material culture in late imperial China. A member of Academia Sinica since 2014, she has received numerous prestigious fellowships from institutions including the Guggenheim Foundation, NEH, and the American Academy in Berlin. Through her pioneering work on historiography, gender studies, and material culture, she continues to shape understanding of Chinese literature while teaching courses on Ming-Qing culture, early Chinese thought, and premodern fiction. Her current projects include translations of classical texts and studies of gender and friendship in Chinese literature.

Xiaofei Tian has transformed understanding of Chinese literature through innovative scholarship spanning medieval to modern periods. After earning her BA from Peking University in 1989 and PhD in Comparative Literature from Harvard in 1998, she joined Harvard's faculty in 2000 where she now serves as Professor of Chinese Literature. Her groundbreaking research combines manuscript studies, cultural history, and comparative literature, demonstrated in influential works like "Tao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture" and "Beacon Fire and Shooting Star". As editor of the journal Early Medieval China and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature, she has shaped the field's development while expanding its scope. Her achievements include the Patrick D. Hanan Prize for translation (2016), Walter Channing Cabot Fellowship (2012), and ACLS Donald J. Munro Fellowship (2019-2020). Through pioneering work on topics ranging from medieval court culture to modern trauma literature, including the Cultural Revolution, she continues to bridge traditional and contemporary Chinese literary studies while mentoring the next generation of scholars. Her current research explores empire, self-writing, and cultural transformation in early medieval China.