Author: SACU Events

China, Climate Change, COP26 – What Comes Next? – SACU Expert Panel discussion

This well-attended SACU Expert Panel Discussion was held on Wednesday 8th December, 5.30-7.00pm, as a free public event by Zoom.  Chair: Carlos Martinez (SACU) Speakers: Professor Astrid Nordin (Lau Chair of Chinese International Relations in the Lau China Institute) Dr Joy Zhang (Director of Studies, Sociology at University of Kent) Sam Geall (Executive Director of China Dialogue) Denis Fernando (Climate Change Activist, Songwriter, Musician) SACU’s Expert Panel discussed what comes next for China and the world following COP26, with a focus on addressing the following questions: How should China’s involvement in COP26 be assessed and what role will it play […]

“Railways and Reunions” and SACU AGM 2 October 2021 Report

SACU’s AGM 2021 took place on Saturday 2nd October at the Wesley Conference Hotel, Euston Street, London. A new Council of 12 members was appointed and the meeting voted unanimously to convert SACU into a Charitable Incorporated Institution. Thanks to members who attended this ‘blended’ meeting either in-person or by Zoom. “Railways and Reunions” took place as SACU’s public event before the AGM on Saturday 2nd October 2021. Consul General Zheng Xiyuan of the Manchester Chinese Consulate proposed this joint event to mark the 110th Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution. We brought together family members of Dr Sun Yat-sen and […]

Gansu and SACU meeting, Friday 27 August 2021

Gansu Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and SACU held a video conference, Friday 27 August 2021   Adapted from the report by the Gansu Sister City Affairs Office    On the afternoon of August 27, the Gansu Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries organized a video conference with the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding to further promote George Hogg’s internationalist spirit, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, and promote the development of sister city relations between Shandan County and George Hogg’s hometown of Harpenden.   Zoë Reed [Sun Ruyi], Chair of the Society for […]

SACU ChinaChat – Xinjiang: Sharing our knowledge, Saturday 24 July 2021

This SACU ChinaChat was for members only, designed to allow discussion of the various aspects of the controversy. Excerpts from two contrasting videos – one by Martin Jacques and one by Rachel Harris, an academic and leading campaigner for the Uighurs – were shown and two SACU members, John Baruch and Keith Lamb, who have some local experiences, followed up by sharing their views. Some particular friends of SACU were also invited to join the session to help us with our considerations. Dr Jenny Clegg, SACU Vice President, chaired the discussion, which was not recorded. Jenny wrote, “Questions about the […]

SACU member Michael Crook in Beijing in conversation with SACU Vice President Dr Frances Wood, Saturday 26 June 2021

Michael Crook was in conversation with SACU Vice President Dr Frances Wood, telling the fascinating story of the Crook family in China and their connections with many SACU friends. This event was open to everyone and followed the SACU-Peking University Essay/Art Competition 2020-2021 Awards Ceremony held online for students from both the UK and China. SACU member Michael Crook, British / Canadian, was born in Beijing in 1951 of British and Canadian parents who met in China. His Canadian mother Isabel was born in Chengdu in 1915 of missionary parents. His British father David came to China in 1938 as a communist. After they […]

SACU/Peking University Essay/Art Competition 2020-2021 Awards Ceremony, Saturday 26 June

SACU members joined with students from both the UK and China for this year’s Awards Ceremony of the Essay/Art Competition, organised jointly by SACU and Peking University. The SACU/ Peking University Essay Competition began in 2015 as part of SACU’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Now in its 5th year, the aim of the competition is to help young people learn about the development of friendship and understanding between the UK and China and to consider how this might be further promoted. The submissions can be an essay or an artistic form, which could involve for example photography, other visual art, or choreographed […]

A Moral Question, A Moral Duty: SACU ChinaChat with Iris Yau, Friday 25 June 2021

SACU ChinaChat meeting for members:  “A Moral Question, A Moral Duty” – Behind the scenes with SACU member Iris Yau, Curator of the recent exhibition “Opium, Silk and the Missionaries in China” held May – June at the Brunei Gallery, SOAS. The Exhibition: “Opium, Silk and the Missionaries in China” retold one of the largely forgotten histories of the relationship between Britain and China in the 19th Century. It drew on several collections, using artefacts to explore the history of the Opium Wars. Botanical arts and tools, historical artefacts about silk, missionary work and intercultural shared experiences in China recorded by British Missionaries throughout […]

Education as a Bridge to Anglo-Chinese Understanding: SACU Panel Discussion Thursday 10 June

SACU’s Public Education Working Group assembled an excellent speaker panel to discuss multiple aspects of this vital collaboration.    Panel: Tim Clissold is a well-known writer on China, author of Mr China: a Memoir (2005); China Rules (2014); and most recently Cloud Chamber (2021). He is a Senior Research Associate at the Cambridge University China Centre and a champion of introducing the study of Chinese civilization in schools. Professor David Law is Academic Director, Global Partnerships, at Keele University and the author of the Higher Education Institute’s (HEPI) report on UK higher education institutes export to China. Theresa Booth is Co-Director […]

SACU ChinaChat: Living and Teaching in Beijing in the 1970s – Presentation by Michael Sheringham

SACU member Michael Sheringham was to have been interviewed by SACU Archivist Dr Linxi Li for “Your Stories with China” SACU ChinaChat series. Unfortunately, Linxi was unable to make a connection from Beijing and so Michael gave a slide presentation of his teaching experiences in China at Beida (Peking University) in the 1970s. His many photographs were fascinating; they showed how things have changed. They were in black and white as colour film was not readily available at the time.   Michael’s task was teaching spoken English to Chinese students. Other teachers taught written English and grammar. He lived in […]

Standing Up to Sinophobia – From Fu Manchu to Bat Soup!

SACU is alarmed by the increase in hate crime against people of Chinese heritage here in the UK and therefore invited an expert panel on Tuesday 6th April 2021 to look at the distinctive nature of Sinophobia and how we might tackle it: Dr Jenny Clegg, SACU Vice-President, opened the event with a presentation on Fu Manchu. Our distinguished panel included: Dr Diana Yeh Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Culture and the Creative Industries and Associate Dean (EDI), School of Arts and Social Sciences, City, University of London Anna Chen Chinese British writer, Poet and Broadcaster who blogs as Madam Miaow @MadamMiaow Yeow […]