The Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) is pleased to announce the call for application for the 2026 OYCF-Stilwell Fellowship on US-China Relations.

Supported by the OYCF-Stilwell Education Fund, this fellowship program was established in 2024 to advance understanding between the U.S. and China. The fellowships support students, scholars, professionals and practitioners who engage in research and/or public-facing projects that explore US-China exchange. These projects include scholarly or policy writing, documentaries, plays, podcasts, and other activities that contribute to mutual understanding and people-to-people exchange between the US and China. 

One to two fellowships, ranging from $5,000-10,000, will be awarded in each cycle through a selective process. Fellowship recipients will be announced on the OYCF website as OYCF-Stilwell Fellows, along with their project titles. 

For eligibility and application details, visit https://oycf.net/stilwell. 

Applications must be received by April 15, 2026 for full consideration.

OYCF is delighted to announce that the application period for the 2026 OYCF-Chow Fellowship for Field Research in China is now open.

This fellowship, generously funded by Gregory C. and Paula K. Chow, provides graduate students in humanities and social sciences from U.S. or Canadian universities with an opportunity to conduct fieldwork in China for their thesis projects. Successful applicants can receive up to $5,000 in financial support.

Priority will be given to research projects focusing on contemporary economic, social, cultural, or political issues in China. However, historical or comparative studies with a substantial amount of fieldwork in China are also eligible for consideration.

The names of fellowship recipients will be officially announced on the OYCF website as distinguished OYCF-Chow Fellows.

Don't miss this chance to advance your research and contribute to the understanding of critical issues in China. Apply now!

Dear OYCF Members, Friends and Supporters,

Happy New Year 2026! As we step into a new year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for being part of our community. Your continued support, engagement, and friendship make our work possible, and we are grateful to begin another year together.

As you start planning, we invite you to save the dates for OYCF’s 2026 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Irvine, California, over Memorial Day weekend, May 23–24, 2026. The program will start in the late afternoon of May 23 and end with a dinner reception on May 24. In collaboration with the Long US-China Institute at UC Irvine, we have tentatively set this year's theme to be "History, Politics, and One-Child Policy Making in China".  Additional programmatic activities will be announced later.

The annual meeting is always a special opportunity to connect in person, reflect on our shared mission, and look ahead to what’s next. We’re excited to gather together and will share more details about the agenda, location, and registration in the coming months.

For now, please mark your calendars—and once again, thank you for being part of the OYCF community. We look forward to all that 2026 will bring.

With warm wishes for a happy, healthy, and inspiring New Year,

OYCF Board
Overseas Young Chinese Forum

At the OYCF 2025 Annual Meeting which took place last weekend in San Diego, we were pleased to announce the first awardee of the OYCF-Stilwell Fellowship: Huan YAN, an independent scholar specializing in the history of China-Burma-India theatre during WWII, who is based in China. The fellowship will support Mr. Yan’s research project, “二战中缅印战区史迪威将军统帅下 的各组织机构” (“A Study and Research on the Essential Organizations Under the Command of General Joseph W. Stilwell in the China - Burma - India Theater During WWII”). 

OYCF 2025 Annual Meeting will be held in San Diego on August 15-17. This year's theme is "Rethinking Chinese Education: Challenges, Traditions, and Innovations in a Changing World 重思中国教育：在全球变动中的挑战、传承与创新". For the line up of our invited speakers and registration info, visit here.

The Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) is pleased to announce the six recipients of the 2025 OYCF-Chow Fellowship for Field Research in China. This fellowship supports outstanding doctoral students whose research advances the understanding of contemporary Chinese society through rigorous fieldwork.

We extend our warmest congratulations to the following scholars:

Lingxiao Chen, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, Emory University

Everyday Nationalism in Chinese Entertainment: Cultural Governance, Celebrity Agency, and Audience Reception.

Zhuoma(Drolma) Gadou, Ph.D. Candidate in Geography, University of Colorado

The End of Yaks? Tibetan Pastoralism at a Crossroads in a Globalized Industrial Food Regime.

Jingyi Guo, Ph.D. Candidate in Mass Communications & Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Pennsylvania State University

Homemakers of the Datafied State: Women’s Labor in Data-Driven Governance in China.

Zhaorui Lu, Ph.D. Candidate in History, University of California, Irvine

Small-Feet Detectives, Gossipy Aunties: A Gendered History of Grassroots Urban Governance in China, 1949 to the Present.

Yixue Yang, Ph.D. Candidate in History and Science Studies, University of California, San Diego

Threads of Gendered Knowledge: Silk, Soil, and Rural Women in China’s Export Economy, 1949–1980.

Andrea Zhu, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles

Greening Infrastructure Development: Transnational Environmental and Climate Finance Advocacy at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

These fellows exemplify academic excellence, interdisciplinary inquiry, and a deep commitment to advancing field-based research in China. We look forward to the insights and contributions they will bring to the scholarly community.

Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) is pleased to announce the new OYCF-Stilwell Fellowship on US-China Relations is now open for applications through May 30, 2025.

We welcome applications from students, scholars, professionals and practitioners who engage in research and/or public-facing projects that explore US-China exchange. 

One to two fellowships, ranging from $5,000-10,000, will be awarded in each cycle through a selective process. For eligibility and application details, visit https://oycf.net/stilwell.

Overseas Young Chinese Forum (OYCF) is pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the re-launched Student Engagement Grant. 

Program Grant

• China Reading & innovation Lab, Columbia University.

• Sociology Forums and Workshops, joint with The Center for the Study of Contemporary China (CSCC), University of Pennsylvania.

Single Event Grant

• Global China Paper Workshop, Northeastern University.

We congratulate the recipient groups and their organizers for taking the lead in creating local spaces for meaningful connections through educational activities that foster a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, society, history, and current affairs across diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

For more information on the Student Engagement Grant, including eligibility and application process, visit https://oycf.net/Students or contact SEG@oycf.net.

OYCF is delighted to announce that the application period for the 2025 OYCF-Chow Fellowship for Field Research in China is now open.

This fellowship, generously funded by Gregory C. and Paula K. Chow, provides graduate students in humanities and social sciences from U.S. or Canadian universities with an opportunity to conduct fieldwork in China for their thesis projects. Successful applicants can receive up to $5,000 in financial support.

Priority will be given to research projects focusing on contemporary economic, social, cultural, or political issues in China. However, historical or comparative studies with a substantial amount of fieldwork in China are also eligible for consideration.

The names of fellowship recipients will be officially announced on the OYCF website as distinguished OYCF-Chow Fellows. Don't miss this chance to advance your research and contribute to the understanding of critical issues in China. Apply now!

OYCF is pleased to announce the re-launch of our Student Engagement Grant (SEG). This initiative is designed to support students in creating social groups that engage in educational activities related to China. We encourage projects that foster a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, society, history, and current affairs across diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Our goal is to inspire students to take the lead in creating local spaces for meaningful discussions, engagement, and connections.

We offer small grants to support activities and initiatives that are creative, inclusive, and academically enriching. These activities may include, but are not limited to, reading groups, mini-lecture series, film societies, and salons organized by and for students for educational, self-growth and community-building purposes. Existing projects or those that have already received other funding are also eligible, provided that the additional budgetary need is justified.

Two types of grants are available and open for applications:

• Single Event Grant: This grant supports a single event with a budget of up to $500.

• Program Grant: This grant supports multiple activities throughout an academic year to foster long-lasting local communities, with funding of up to $1500 per academic year.

Applications for the Single Event Grant must be submitted at least one month prior to the event, and are accepted on a rolling basis while funds remain.  Applications for the Program Grant for the current academic year must be submitted by September 30 (For the 2024-2025 academic year, the deadline is December 15 2024). Successful applicants will be notified within one month of us receiving the application.

For details about eligibility and application instructions, visit https://oycf.net/Students. For questions, contact SEG@oycf.net.