Luming Xu is a PhD Candidate from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and 1 of 12 Graduate Students who was awarded a Conference Travel Grant by CEAPS in 2026. From March 12-15th, 2026, Luming used his Conference Travel Grant to visit Vancouver, Canada to attend the Association for Asian Studies Conference to present his project "When Migration Meets "Saving the Nation": China's Disaster Relief, Agricultural Migration, and Nation Building in Manchuria, 1912-1931." Here is Q&A segment from CEAPS' interview with Luming Xu:

Q: What does this opportunity mean to you personally and academically?

A: This opportunity is critical to my graduate study, it is a platform where I could demonstrate my research and connect with established figures in academia.

Q: What is your research or project about, and how would you explain it to a general audience?

A: I study the modern history of Manchuria, today China's Northeast. I focus on the transformation of these two toponyms and use the concept of land as its legal, ecological, and ideological basis.

Q: What was the best part of your conference and travel?

A: Travel in Vancouver is both a great opportunity to learn academically and a retreat from daily assignments. The scenery of Vancouver is so beautiful.