The newspaper devoted four articles to Dr Zhang’s recent book entitled Small World: Footnotes to Academic Observations.
The book draws on Dr Zhang’s experience of the Chinese diaspora in the US, the UK and France and uses everyday examples to provide fresh insights on how Chinese societies approach issues such as identity, diversity, nationalism and China’s rise in a globalised world.
Dr Zhang, of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, has written a bi-weekly column in the People’s Daily over the past six years – amounting to some 150 articles – which formed the basis for the book. People’s Daily senior journalist Xiaoyun Meng said that the newspaper ‘took pride’ in being able to host Dr Zhang’s column.