Yan Hairong is an anthropologist who is an Associate Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and M.A. from University of California, Berkeley. Yan has published articles on not only China-Africa relations, but also Chinese proverbs, modernization in East Asia, and the discourse of development. She has been particularly active in discussion of Chinese copper mining in Zambia. She has published a number of monographs and numerous journal articles, as well as op-eds and online contributions.