Dr. Tian’s research, Resources, Power and Capital: A Study on Baojin Company in the Local Landscape of Modern Shanxi (1896–1930), offers a focused analysis of Shanxi’s first modern coal mining enterprise, distinguished by its significant capital, vast mining lands, and integrated industrial operations. Her research traces the company’s development amid the institutional reforms and shifting local political-economic landscape of the late Qing and early Republican China.

Although the research centres on North China’s inland region, Dr. Tian credits Hong Kong’s dynamic commercial environment and the interdisciplinary academic environment of the Department of History and the Faculty of Arts for enriching her research. These influences enabled her to explore how political forces, financial resources, and technology networks shaped individual decisions during historical turning points, decisions that ultimately defined the course of history.