Author: SACU Admin

Understanding Chinese Thinking:

The 24 Solar Terms Today is the ninth of October. The Chinese international school where I work has just put a message on its social media to remind all employees that today is the day of ‘Cold Dew’ which in Chinese is 寒露. ‘Cold Dew’ is a day that marks the changing seasons, specifically telling us to expect colder weather as we approach the end of Autumn. So what is ‘Cold Dew’ and why is this reminder important to my colleagues? Cold Dew is one of the 24 solar terms. Broadly the seasons in China follow the same pattern as […]

From China, ketchup for your chips!

These days of course we are increasingly used to the idea of buying manufactured goods from China. But here’s an astonishing fact that will change the way you see the interdependence between China and the world. Fully one quarter of the tomato ketchup now consumed in the world is grown and produced in China – yes, one in every four bottles! What are the facts behind this remarkable story? The first part of the puzzle is that the growing of tomatoes has become a significant part of Chinese agriculture. In 2021 China processed 4.8 million tonnes of tomatoes, 12% of […]

Aspects of Chinese Democracy and Progress

First published in China Eye (79) Autumn 2023 pages 5-7 3 OCTOBER 2023 | Walter Fung Democracy; Definition The Western media is constantly using the word democracy and dividing the nations of the world into two categories, democratic and authoritarian (non-democratic by the Western perception). My Concise Oxford Dictionary defines democracy as ‘having government by all the people, direct or representative; form of society ignoring hereditary, class distinctions and tolerating minority views’. A definition from the internet says,’ A system of government by the whole population of the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. Note the word […]

Chinese Intangible Culture Heritage in the UK

First published in China Eye (77) Spring 2023 pages 20-23 3 OCTOBER 2023 | Walter Fung In 2001, UNESCO made a comprehensive survey to agree on a definition for intangible cultural heritage (ICH). By 2003, a draft stated that intangible cultural heritage is a practice, representation, expression, knowelge or skill. These include nonphysical intellectual wealth such as folklore, customs, beliefs, traditions, knowledge and language. Officials and scholars were concerned that ICH practices and knowledge could be lost to future generations if efforts were not made for their preservation. Historic buildings, monuments and artifacts are considered tangible cultural property. China itself […]

月 霜 ~ Frost Moon

Autumn’s moon cries, her ice tear of Jade, of harvest, opens this ringed nocturnal door to worlds lost within you, on night’s forest floor, animal eyes reflecting fire, reflecting flood.   Your fragrant face, grace of a distant moon in black osmanthus scented skies, a bloom of lunar love, so slender, so luminescent, a crack in the dark, kept open just this instant   of night, moon-faced, yes, rounded and clear whose webs of light guide me here, so confused, to beams of love which shine, which disappear in the ripening darkness: I lose, I’m renewed.   Entwined alone, our […]

Within the four seas we are all one family.

四海之内皆兄弟 –  sìhǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōngdì Within the four seas we are all one family. 22 SEPTEMBER 2023 | Chris Nash This year is the 80th celebration of the Flying Tigers. A major ceremony has just been held in California involving surviving members of the legendary squad of airman. Strictly speaking this a celebration of China-American friendship, but a few British aviators were involved and anyway it’s an amazing but much forgotten story from World War 2. We have to go back to 1941 and 1942. The imperialist Japanese armies had overrun much of south-east Asia and were fighting […]

Commemorating the Flying Tigers

4 SEPTEMBER 2023 | Chris Nash This year is the 80th celebration of the Flying Tigers. A major ceremony has just been held in California involving surviving members of the legendary squad of airman. Strictly speaking this a celebration of China-American friendship, but a few British aviators were involved and anyway it’s an amazing but much forgotten story from World War 2. We have to go back to 1941 and 1942. The imperialist Japanese armies had overrun much of south-east Asia and were fighting against heroic Chinese resistance to take control of China and her resources. This was about the […]

Building Bridges Through Dance

14 AUGUST 2023 | Chris Nash At SACU we are looking for innovative ways to grow our mission of better understanding between China and the UK. We are interested in ‘bridge builders’, people who can bring the two cultures together in ways which promote mutual understanding. Recently it was my honour to meet and talk with Zhou Hangyu, who is passionate about introducing her specialist medium, Chinese dance, to audiences here in the UK and across the world. Hangyu ( English name Joanna) started by her telling me her fascinating back story. She is originally from the north-eastern Liaoning province […]

Bridges over Troubled Waters

7 AUGUST 2023 | Chris Nash 樊迟问仁子曰爱人问知子曰知人 “ Fan Chi asked about Goodness. The Master replied, “Care for others.” He then asked about wisdom.The Master replied, “Know others.” It’s so important in our development of people to people understanding between China and the UK that we share stories of the common humanitarianism that binds communities together despite all of the barriers that try to build walls rather than bridges. Events like the recent heavy flooding across northern China remind us that solidarity between people is a core value in every society. The typhoon and the subsequent flooding has seen citizens […]

Reflections on the Lee Kai Hung Chinese Culture Gallery

31 July 2023 | Chris Nash Firstly I’d like to thank SACU members,  Lead Curator Bryan Sitch and Project Assistant Dr Fang Zong on behalf of all SACU members for  their hospitality in giving me a guided tour of the Gallery on a recent visit to Manchester. Secondly I would urge all SACU members to not only visit the Chinese Culture Gallery themselves but to recommend it to family and friends. As someone who has lived and travelled in China for the last ten years I would say that a visit to the Gallery took me back to places, people […]