Chinese Tutor with Ivy League PhD

David B.

I'm a scholar and educator with a passion for Chinese language, literature and history! I graduated in Fall of 2025 from Columbia University with a Ph.D. in Chinese literature, with a recommendation for distinction, from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. In addition to teaching at Columbia University, I have also taught at Yale University and Rhode Island School of Design. In all I have eight years of experience teaching and TA'ing courses on Chinese language, literature, cinema, and art, as well as Asian studies more generally. These courses have ranged in size from four to twenty students, and in addition to delivering lectures, I have also worked with students one-on-one.

As someone born and raised in Beijing, China, in an English-speaking household, I have native fluency in both English and Chinese. Prior to my Ph.D., I received a B.A. in English from Brown University and a B.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design, from the Brown-RISD Dual Degree Program. worked in China as a tutor of English for two years, working with clients as young as five years old in a home environment, and as old as sixty in a corporate context. In addition, I have also worked professionally as an arts curator in New York and Hong Kong. At present, I also am a freelance interpreter and translator, working with Mandarin and English.

My approach to tutoring emphasizes encouraging students to discover and pursue their interests. As a native speaker of both Chinese and English, I can effectively improve your pronunciation and conversation skills. I can explain complex or counterintuitive grammatical concepts clearly. With my experience teaching content courses at college level, I'm also good at finding multimedia "texts" tailored to student interests, whether that's film, music, or art, that aren't limited to the textbook.

I am happy to provide an initial consultation free of charge.