I am a PhD student at the Department of Geography, Environment and Society. Originally from Shanghai, I am broadly interested in the changing relations between peoples, plants, the built and natural environments in China after decades of breakneck urban and rural development. My dissertation project investigates the historical arrival and contemporary boom of Arabica coffee in Yunnan, China's southwest borderlands. Intersecting political ecology, agrarian studies, cultural geography of landscape and sociology of finance, this research seeks to understand the shifting nature of land and commodity value by studying the financial and symbolic investments embedded in the volatile coffee market. Beyond research, I also engage with public writings and curatorial projects on place-based ecologies and natural histories. I enjoy cycling, cooking and documentary films in my spare time.
Ben is in residence with ICGC during the 2025-26 academic year.