Editor-In-Chief
Guangkui Zhang
Guangkui Zhang, one of the important members of the "Lige School" of poetry in China, is a distinguished scholar-poet and innovator whose work spans rigorous academic research, prolific creative writing, and groundbreaking performative theory. He holds a PhD in Literature from Sun Yat-sen University and completed postdoctoral research in Philosophy at Nankai University.
Currently a Professor, Chair of the Professorial Committee, and Director of the Center for Poetry and Drama at College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, he also holds significant leadership roles in the academic community, including as a Board Member of the Chinese Association for American Literature Studies and Vice President of the Guangdong Association for Foreign Literature Studies. His scholarly research focuses on English poetry, poetics, and translation theory, evidenced by two monographs and over sixty academic papers. Parallel to this, he is a prolific poet and translator, having published four collections of original poetry (in both English and Chinese) and five translated works. Zhang’s most distinctive contribution is his original “Poepera” (poem + opera) theory, which conceptualizes poetry as “interpretive kinetic art onstage.” He actively moves poetry from the page to a multidimensional performance, integrating recitation with musical, dramatic, and choreographic elements. This innovative synthesis of critical theory and performative practice is a recognized academic contribution, demonstrated through his adaptations of classical and original works for the stage.
He further shapes literary discourse as the editor-in-chief of the international journals Verse Version and Journal of Language.
Executive Editor
Dongchun Chen
Dongchun Chen is Executive Editor of the Journal of Language and Professor of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Guangdong University of Finance & Economics. She serves as Vice President of the Guangdong Foreign Language Association.
Her research centers on foreign linguistics, functional linguistics, and discourse analysis, with particular emphasis on foreign language teaching theory, autonomous learning, and English reading pedagogy. She has proposed a transdisciplinary, holistic framework for language teaching. Professor Chen has published over 40 articles in leading journals and authored three textbooks. She was named a CNKI Top 1% Highly Cited Scholar.
Managing Editor
Ling Xu
Ling Xu is Managing Editor of the Journal of Language and Professor of English Education at Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, where she serves as Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages. Her research focuses on English education and teacher development.
She serves as Deputy Secretary-General of the World Interpreter and Translator Training Association (WITTA), Vice President of the Guangdong Translators Association, and Vice President of the Chinese Culture Communication Committee under the Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese. Professor Xu has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, translated three scholarly volumes, and authored four textbooks. Her honors include the First Prize of the Guangdong Teaching Achievement Award.
Associate Editors
Nana Jin
Nana Jin, Associate Editor of Journal of Language, Vice Dean and Professor/PhD Supervisor of the College of International Studies, Shenzhen University. Council Member of the Functional Linguistics Committee, China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese. Holds PhDs from Xiamen University and City University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on Systemic Functional Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, and Discourse Analysis. She is Principal Investigator of a National Social Science Fund project, “A Frame-Based Study of English and Chinese Lexical Semantics for Large Language Models.” She has published over 30 papers in internationally renowned journals and a monograph, The Metaphorical Evaluative Studies of Speech Verbs.
Yanni Lei
Yanni Lei, PhD, one of the important members of the "Lige School" of poetry in China, is Associate Professor at Department of English, School of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-sen University. She is also supervisor of PhD candidates and cooperative supervisor of post-doctoral scholars. She takes charge of the English Poetry Studies Institute in Sun Yat-sen University. She has been vice president of Guangdong Society of Foreign Literature since 2025. Her research interests include English poetry and poetics, the study on novel and drama, and the study on literary and cultural theories. She has published dozens of academic articles in renowned international journals.
Ping Su
Ping Su (PhD in English, University of Hong Kong) is Head of English and Professor at South China University of Technology’s School of Foreign Languages and Research Center for Indian Ocean Island Countries. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Island Studies Journal (2023-Present) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Language. Su’s research concerns island cultural studies, Caribbean literature, and migration and crosscultural identities. She is author of over 50 scholarly articles, monographs, edited collections, and book chapters. Prior to taking up her current post, Su was Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen University’s School of International Studies.
Hongyan Wang
Hongyan Wang is Associate Editor of the Journal of Language and Professor at the College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, where she serves as Director of the Center for European Studies. She holds her PhD in Linguistics from Leiden University in the Netherland supervised by Professor Vincent J. J. P. van Heuven. Her research interests span phonetics, experimental linguistics including the study of production and perception of cross linguistic accents, the plasticity of foreign accents and related pedagogy in language learning. Professor Wang has published over 40 academic study articles internationally, authored two monographs, chaired more than 10 research projects.
Jeroen van de Weijer
Jeroen van de Weijer (PhD, Leiden University), Associate Editor of the Journal of Language, is Distinguished Professor of English linguistics at Shenzhen University, where he teaches courses on phonetics, phonology, general linguistics and cognitive science. Before this, he taught a range of linguistics courses at Shanghai International Studies University and Leiden University. He has authored or edited books on Optimality Theory, Japanese, Dutch and general linguistics and published on a range of other languages as well. He is Senior Editor for linguistics of the journal Cogent Arts & Humanities. His current research is focused on combining models of theoretical phonology with psycholinguistics.
Editorial Board
Simone Chiatante
Simone Chiatante is a distinguished Italian linguist, translator, and published author. In recognition of his significant cultural contributions to Shenzhen, he has been formally appointed as the Global Communication Ambassador by the Shenzhen Daily newspaper and serves as an International Experience Officer for the Qianhai authorities. He is also a recognized expert in Chinese tea culture. His recent literary work includes RESPIRO, a bilingual collection of metropolitan haiku. Professionally, he is an active publishing partner of the Subway Dharma Collective, an independent publishing house based in Italy.
Rong Zeng
Rong Zeng is an Associate Professor at the College of International Studies, Shenzhen University, with a PhD in Literature from Osaka University. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary Sino-Japanese comparative literature and postwar Japanese literature. Her work covers writers such as Hotta Yoshie, Ōe Kenzaburō, Mao Dun, and Guo Moruo. She is also engaged in translation work and actively participates in academic exchanges.
Wei Ye
Wei Ye is an associate professor of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University in Guangzhou, China. She earned her Ph.D. from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Her research focuses on language assessment, integrated writing, and positive psychology in educational contexts. She has published a series of articles in prominent international journals.
Editorial Office
Lanhui Liu
Lanhui Liu serves as Director of the Editorial Department for Journal of Language, and Verse Version. She is an Associate Professor at the College of International Studies, Guangdong Baiyun University, where she teaches English Literature. Her research focuses on British & American literature, Comparative culture and English education.
Jieying Wu
Jieying Wu serves as the Deputy Director of the Editorial Department for the Journal of Language and Verse Version, where her responsibilities include departmental organization and managing the registration of article metadata to activate Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) via Crossref for these journals as well as for Academic Research in East Asia. Concurrently, she works as a Lecturer in English at Guangdong Baiyun University.
Atefeh Esmaeilirad
Atefeh Esmaeilirad is an Australian poet, artist, and architect. For the Journal of Language and Verse Version, she oversees page and cover design, in addition to managing daily editorial office operations.