Wai-yee S. Li, an expert in ancient Chinese historical narratives, will join the Department of East Asian Studies (EAS) as a tenured professor in September.

"She is young and brilliant and has something that we didn't have"--expertise on this kind of historical narratives, said Peter K. Bol, professor of Chinese history and chair of the EAS department.

Li, now an associate professor in Princeton's East Asian Studies department, said her research experiences drew her to teaching.

"I like the materials I work on and want to spend time on them, and teaching and writing seem to be the logical components of it," Li said.

She added that she was looking forward to coming to Harvard. "I love Princeton too, but I think it will be a good move," she said.

The addition of Li to Harvard's small EAS staff, combined with the recently announced tenure of Wilt L. Idema, a professor at the Netherlands' University of Leiden, means the department can expand the content and format of its courses, Bol said.

"I think that [Li's tenure] is an important and valuable move for the department, and it allows us to think creatively about new courses and new approaches," Bol said.

"Because we've always been so pressed for Faculty in the EAS department, now we're able to do more for the students than we were able to do before," he said.