Having graduated from WashU in 2021 as an undergraduate majoring in Linguistics and German, Yutong developed a strong interest in the German language and has been teaching German grammar to native Mandarin speakers. His academic works include a honors thesis analyzing the phonology of a German-based Universalsprache, Volapük, as well as a Master's thesis on language contact in WWII-era Manchuria. At the moment, Yutong is particularly interested in multilingualism in the former German Democratic Republic, language contact between German and Russian, as well as their influence on East German literature and society.