Luli Zou studied decorative arts and material culture with a focus on eighteenth- through nineteenth-century Chinese export wares and chinoiserie influences in American material culture at BGC. She has experience at multiple Chinese and US cultural institutions, including the Palace Museum, the Bureau of Historic Sites in New York, the Preservation Society of Newport County, and Newport Restoration Foundation. With a BA in history and an MSc in conservation, she utilizes an object-based methodology to explore the narratives behind objects, contributing to a broader understanding of early cultural communication between the US and China.

Qualifying Paper: Beyond the China Trade—A Biography of a Qing Dressing Case in Kingscote, Newport