Xu Liu is a researcher at Sichuan Normal University, China and received her PhD from Institute of Education, University College London. She is familiar with the local culture and customs. Most crucially she speaks the local dialect, which was instrumental in carrying out the interviews for this book.
David Burnett, with a PhD in Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, taught at Sichuan Normal University, China from 2006-2013 and is now a Professor Emeritus. He is author of several books, including Western Civilization: A Study for Chinese Students, and a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.