Tongrui’s research centers on the history of East Asian borderlands, ethnic relations, and the historical construction of marginality. His current project examines Mongol communities living at the intersection of Inner Mongolia and Manchuria, exploring how shifting land-related practices—from demarcation and enclosure to reclamation and energy extraction—transformed their livelihoods and identities between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

He joins the Department of History in 2026 as an HKU Presidential PhD Scholar under the supervision of Prof. Ji Li, with Prof. Loretta E. Kim and Prof. Nianshen Song (TIAS, Tsinghua) as committee members. He earned his Bachelor Degree in History from Tsinghua University, where he received the Spark Fellowship (2024–26), the Widjaja Couple Scholarship (2023), the Rixin Diligence & Perseverance Scholarship (2024, 2025), and the School of Humanities Honorable Thesis Award (2026).

Supervisor: Prof. LI Ji