Six Grinnell College students studying Chinese, Japanese, and East Asian Studies shared their research on a national stage this spring, marking a record-setting year for student participation at the annual conference hosted by ASIANetwork.

The new Japanese Language House residential community supports the growing Japanese major.

Food has long been a place where culture, memory, and community meet—and in small towns across Iowa, Chinese American restaurants have played a quiet but powerful role in shaping local life.

On May 19, 2025, Grinnell College graduated its first cohort of Japanese majors. This group of students started learning Japanese in fall 2021, Grinnell’s first semester back to in-person learning after a year and a half of online learning.

Professor Jin Feng developed a new Grinnell course that is likely one of the only stand-alone courses devoted to Chinese web fiction in North America.

Associate Professor of Chinese and Japanese Qiaomei Tang was recently awarded a spring 2025 visiting fellowship from the Ying-shih Yü International Center for History and the Chinese Humanities (YCHCH) Visiting Fellow Program at National Taiwan University.

4 students discuss how Chinese food developed in places they know well.

“While we can’t promise authenticity or perfection, we believe these recipes will satisfy any curiosity or craving that the typical Grinnell student will have in regards to exploring Chinese cooking.”

From study abroad project to independent study to publication

Gates Lecturer: Michael Puett, Harvard University Michael Puett will present two lectures: “Ritual, Sincerity, and Human Flourishing: What Chinese Philosophers can Teach Us About the Good Life” and “Creating Worlds: Imagination and Interpretation in Classical China.”