Over the past two centuries, five generations of Chinese students arrived in the United States with a resolution to serve their families and revive their homeland, but also curious to learn about other countries and different lifestyles. In past decades, many Chinese students studying abroad have struggled to decide about their lives after higher education: where did they want to live? Where did they feel most at home? Often these questions were not clear to answer. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit 360,000 Chinese students studying in the United States, some returned home immediately, but many have been on the fence for weeks or months, trying to decide whether to go home or to stay, during a time of rising tension between two powers.

In this project, I will interview Chinese students in the United States about their experiences during the pandemic. I expect to look at how they are encountering prejudice and discrimination not only in the United States but also in China. How is the experience of the pandemic prompting them to think about their own identity, or about the public opinions toward two powers? What are the disparate voices that they are caught in? By employing the methodology of the oral-text interview, questionnaire survey, and social media analysis, I hope this project will shed light on family relationships, information flows, and reconfiguration of national pride during this unique time of public health crisis.

Poster Presentation