What to Write to Join the CCP: Text Analysis of Party Membership Applications

Membership in the Chinese Communist Party is often portrayed as formalistic, so much so that applicants are known to copy essay applications from the internet. Using online copies of party applications, this project conducts text analysis using natural language processing models to examine the saliency and frequency of keyword phrases. The study seeks to discern if there are meaningful differences between applications from the Xi Jinping period and those from the Hu-Wen period. From keyword phrases to the sentence level structure, I analyze from a thematic and linguistic point of view, what do Chinese citizens write to join the CCP.

Political Engagement Abroad: OCR & Text Analysis of Overseas Chinese Student Newsletters

In recent years, Chinese student and scholars associations (CSSA) across universities in the US have been criticized for their lack of autonomy as they are accused of receiving guidance from the Chinese government. This study of overseas Chinese student newsletters presents a different narrative about the history and development of overseas Chinese student groups. The newsletters, which span from 1970 to 1998, shed light on Chinese students’ perspectives on US affairs and on political developments in China, as they navigate challenges as foreign students abroad.