EA presents: Lei Duan

Lei Duan,Graduate Student with the History Department and Syracuse University

Arming the Chinese: Foreign Gun Ownership in Modern China

Personal weapon ownership was surprisingly common in 19th and early 20th century China when many civilians became owners of foreign-made guns. Ownership of these weapons not only contributed to persistent social unrest, but also helped subvert central and local government authority in many regions. This talk will examine how high rates of private gun ownership affected Chinese society, culture, and politics from 1860 to 1949.

Lei Duan is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the History Department at the Maxwell School.  He received support from the East Asia Program for research in China this summer.  He holds a master’s degree from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his undergraduate degree from Nankai University. 

Open to the public.

Sponsored by the East Asia Program at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs