Michael Wood
President
As a historian broadcaster and film maker Michael has brought history alive for viewers and readers in Britain, the US and worldwide. He is the author of several highly praised and best-selling books on English history including number one best sellers In Search of the Dark Ages and Domesday, and also The Story of England. Michael’s interest in China began at school with AC Graham’s Poetry of the Late T’ang, was extended at Oxford where he shared a house with a Sinologist and continued with visits to China from the early eighties, first filming there in the late eighties. Since 2013 he has made a dozen visits making films, above all for the six-part Story of China which set out to give the general viewer an introduction to the grand sweep and creative riches of Chinese history. Michael has been President of SACU since January 2020.
Zoe Reed
Chairperson
Zoe Reed has been SACU's Chair since 2009. She has a direct interest in building links and understanding with China as her father was Chinese - however she did not meet him until the 1990's when she traced him to his home town of Lanzhou, Gansu province. Her father came to UK under the sponsorship of Joseph Needham and hence Zoe's commitment to building SACU. Zoe is a Director in an NHS Foundation Trust which provides mental health services and is married with two grown up children.
In 2016 Zoe wrote a book illuminating the history of British-Chinese relations, "A Bridge Between Hearts"
Corinne Attwood
Secretary
Corinne Attwood first joined SACU in the mid-eighties. Corinne led her first tour of China in 1985 and has been leading tours regularly since then, as well as private visits. She joined the SACU Council in 2009 and has recently been appointed Secretary. Corinne started learning Chinese in 1984 at evening classes - she is still learning characters.
Yuan Gao
Treasurer
Yuan Gao joined SACU in the spring of 2016 and has been actively engaged in promoting SACU to young Chinese group in the UK and abroad. She is specially interested in bridging the culture and communication gaps between Chinese and British. She works full time as a quantitative analyst at Swiss Re.
Ros Wong
Membership and Events
Ros Wong (née Lawton) joined SACU in 1972 after graduating with a degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Leeds. In 1977 she joined the SACU delegation to China when she was Secretary of the Merseyside Branch of SACU. After a working life as a Librarian in public libraries, Ros has taken up an active retirement supporting SACU’s work. Ros became SACU’s Programme Co-ordinator after the 50th Anniversary symposium and joined SACU Council in 2016
Walter Fung
China Eye Editor
Walter Fung has been a member of SACU since 1983 and has served on Council since 2000. He has a degree in Chemistry and is a retired textile technologist. Since his retirement he has gone back to his roots and is interested in all aspects of Chinese history and culture. He is especially interested in the early Chinese community in the UK and overseas Chinese communities in general. He has travelled extensively and has been to China many times.
Frances Wood
Vice President
Frances Wood attended SACU meetings when still at school and then studied Chinese at Cambridge, joining the first SACU Youth Tour to China in 1971. She worked in the Chinese section of SOAS Library and eventually became Curator of the Chinese Collections in the British Library, retiring in 2013. She has travelled extensively in China and written many books, including The Blue Guide to China, The Silk Road, Did Marco Polo Go To China? The Lure of China, The Forbidden City, The Diamond Sutra, Betrayed Ally and Great Books of China amongst other things.
Jenny Clegg
Vice President
Jenny has been a member of SACU since the 1970s, serving on the Council of Management for a number of years. In the 1980s she was an education worker based in Manchester’s Chinatown before moving into higher education as a lecturer in Asia Pacific Studies. She has visited China many times: as a member of several SACU delegations, as a tour leader and as a researcher on China’s rural reforms. Jenny's particular academic interest has been in China's cooperative economy and since retiring she has continued to research and write about China and Chinese matters. She is a member of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives.
Rob Stallard
Vice President
Rob Stallard is a software developer and I.T. consultant. He met Joseph Needham while studying at Caius College, Cambridge. He joined SACU in 1988 after attending evening classes with Chinese tutor, and SACU member, David Wright. Rob has served on Council as Treasurer and as Secretary and is now a Vice President. Rob developed and maintained SACU's web site from 1995 to 2017.
Jane Hadley
Vice President
Jane has enjoyed a lifelong interest in China, its people and culture. She engages with the Chinese people in her local community and encourage the families and children to learn about, and be proud of, their Chinese heritage. She is often invited to give talks about China to local school children and community groups and is always pleased to share her interests with them.
Jane has been a member of the SACU Council of Management for 24 years and served as Chair and Treasurer. She was appointed Vice President in 2008.
Andrew Hicks
Council Member
Andrew Hicks first became fascinated with China and its culture when a lecturer in Law at the University of Hong Kong during the seventies. Going on to lecture at the National University of Singapore and later settling in Thailand for some years, he lived in Asia and Chinese related communities for over twenty years. Now back in UK, being a Council member of SACU enables him to share his passion for all things Chinese. In 2015 Andrew wrote "A True friend to China".
Cai Chen
Council Member
Cai Chen is a PhD student on Contemporary Chinese history at the King’s College London. She joined SACU in the spring of 2016 and works on projects and market promotion for SACU. She is passionate to improve the mutual understanding and friendship between peoples from the UK and China.
Barnaby Powell
Council Member
Barnaby Powell has been involved in private sector development in the Chinese world for over 40 years, living in Asia for 20 of these. With Alex Mackinnon he has written China Calling, China Counting and 2018 – China goes Critical. He speaks to schools, universities and business groups on ‘The Meaning of China’ and the importance of understanding Chinese culture.