Dr. Chao Chen is an Assistant Research Fellow at the School of Philosophy and Social Development, Shandong University, where he has taught since 2021. He received his Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. in Philosophy from Tsinghua University and Shaanxi Normal University respectively. His research focuses on the interaction between Confucian classics (jingxue) and Buddhism in early medieval China, the sinicization of Buddhism, and the transformation of state–religion relations from the Wei-Jin period through the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He is the author of Minglun Hongyuan: A Study of the Interaction between Buddhism and Confucian Classics in the Northern Dynasties (The Commercial Press, 2024), a volume selected for the prestigious "Rixin Library" series of the Commercial Press. His work has appeared in leading CSSCI journals including History of Chinese Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Buddhist Studies.