His research fields include Dunhuang Studies, Natural History, Medieval Religious History, Manuscript Culture, and Knowledge Society History, with a particular focus on the integration of knowledge construction, belief practice, social life and political operation in Medieval China. He is the author of "Shen Dao Human Mind: A Study on the Social History of People's Livelihood and Religion in Dunhuang between Tang and Song Dynasties", "Middle Ages: Academia, Faith, and Society in the Manuscript Era", "Natural History of Dunhuang", etc.