Xiangjun Liu

I hold a bachelor's degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Beijing Normal University and a Master of Science in Communication for Development and Social Change from Temple University in the United States. I previously worked as an intern reporter at Beijing News and the Family Biography Editorial Department, gaining experience in in-depth reporting, oral history, and biographical writing.

As a researcher, journalist, and AI creator, I am interested in individuals, memory, social change, and inner life: how personal narratives carry historical, cultural, and emotional truths, and how states of mind and collective imagination reshape social reality. From documenting family histories and studying representations of fear in Elena Ferrante’s works to civic engagement in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, homelessness in Philadelphia, and research on Zen meditation, I explore these questions and practices in search of ways that can nurture individual growth while fostering social change.

At the same time, I am exploring AI as a new tool for creation, using it to turn ideas into tangible, usable products. I designed the core visual elements and UI for i-LLUM, an app developed for a nonprofit organization and now available on both iOS and Android. I also independently designed and developed the web app Room of My Own.

Through explorations spanning academic research, in-depth reporting, AI creation, and Zen practice, I hope to build a personal practice that engages with reality, grounds the self, and responds to the questions of our time.