Hongato Hu visits a home in the city of Shuangyashan in China. Photo courtesy of Hongtao Hu.
In 2025, Rice Student Media awarded the Schumann Brothers Grant to student journalist Hongtao Hu.
Writing articles for The Rice Thresher since his freshman year, Hu has been an active reporter on Rice University’s campus.
This $5,000 grant provided Hu the opportunity to travel outside of the United States to visit China in pursuit of a story.
This year, Hu finished the literary journalism piece titled “Voyage to Yanbian,” a first-hand account of his trip to visit his grandfather’s birthplace, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.
Through reporting and personal reflection, Hu explores identity, assimilation and the complexities of belonging within the Korean diaspora in modern-day China.
In this interview with Stephen Burgess, Hu talks about his journey researching a project that blends memoir, history and travel writing into an ambitious work of narrative nonfiction.
A modern-era Yanji desk is filled with photo frames and books of Hu’s family members. Photo provided by Hongtao Hu.