She earned her doctorate in architecture and design research from Virginia Tech. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s of fine arts both in industrial design from Beijing Institute of Technology and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, respectively. She has practiced in multiple design fields for over 15 years, including product design, interior design, advertising, graphic design and packaging design. Her current research projects include: Chinese contemporary design studies, product semantics and sustainable design, systems theory and its adaptation in design, design and disaster prevention and relief. She is also an influential blogger and a regular contributor for several Chinese newspapers and magazines.