Zhichen Zhou 周祉晨 is a Ph.D. student in medieval Chinese history. She is primarily interested in political loyalty and cultural identity in the frontier society. In addition, the extensive use of manuscripts in her research led to her interest in the fluid nature of texts in the manuscript era. Her MA thesis at UGent explores the identity crisis of Dunhuang elites living in the 8th and 9th centuries and their responses to establish the identity of the “Dunhuang People”.