Suggested Methodology

- Literature survey

Although there are not many studies on Chinese letters adopting computer technology, I will conduct a quick review of relevant projects on correspondence to look for useful perspectives, especially those on early modern European letters. I will also look at how researchers have made use of CBDB data in the past.

- Social network analysis

I hope to apply basic social network analysis methods to the study of epistolary networks in China. This will be aided by visualization techniques enabled by relevant software packages such as Gephi.

- Case study

After conducting a macro-analysis of epistolary networks, I will focus on letters by several individuals that I am interested in and have studied in the past. I will pay special attention to how such historical examples fit in larger historical patterns concerning epistolary networks.