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Matthew Wells
Associate Professor, Early Chinese Literature and Culture
Chinese Studies

Professor Wells received his Ph.D. in Chinese from the University of Oregon in 2006 where he was a student of Dr. Stephen Durrant. Before coming to the University of Kentucky in 2009, Professor Wells taught Asian and world history at Eastern Oregon University (2006-2009). Dr. Wells also taught at the University of California, Berkeley in 2016 in the Department of History. From 2021 to 2023, he was the Director of Research of the Elling Eide Center, where he organized and facilitated conferences, workshops, and individual research projects to support research in the field of early China studies. 

Professor Wells has lived and worked extensively in China. In 1998-1999, he attended the Central University for Nationalities 中央民族大学 in Beijing, where he studied intensive Chinese language and early Chinese religious history. In 2001-2002, with the support of a Fulbright-Hays dissertation research grant, he studied at Xiamen University 厦门大学 in the Department of Philosophy. In 2005-2006, Dr. Wells worked as a visiting instructor for CET's Service Learning and Chinese Studies program at Capital Normal University 首都师范大学 in Beijing, where he taught courses on art, literature and religion. In 2013 he was a research fellow at Academia Sinica 中央研究院 in Taipei, and in 2016 he was a visiting scholar at National Taiwan University in the Department of Chinese Literature 中國文學系.

In addition, Dr. Wells has given papers at conferences in China, including the 1st International Conference on Ge Hong and Chinese Culture in Ningbo (2003); conducted research in Hangzhou (2007) and Taiwan (2010, 2013, 2015) on topics such as Daoism, historiography, and Chinese language pedagogy; and led the University of Kentucky conversational Chinese program at Shanghai University and Zhejiang University (2011, 2014, 2015). 

When not studying and teaching, Professor Wells enjoys spending time with his wife and menagerie of animals, fly fishing, photography, camping, working out, and reading. 

Contact Information
mvwe222@uky.edu
1055 Patterson Office Tower
Education
Ph.D., Chinese, University of Oregon, 2006

M.A., Asian Studies, University of Oregon, 2001

B.A., History, University of Washington, 1997

 
Research Interests
  • autobiography
  • Biography
  • hagiography
  • Daoism
  • Literary Theory
Affiliations
  • Chinese Studies
  • Modern & Classical Languages Literatures & Cultures
  • Social Theory