Public Event

'There's Shakespeare, there's Dante, and there's Du Fu: these are the poets who created the very values by which poetry is judged; they defined the emotional vocabulary of their culture.' Stephen Owen.   In this free illustrated talk Professor Michael Wood OBE, BBC presenter, author, and SACU President, will follow the poet Du Fu’s journey around China – which took place in the midst of one of the worst wars in Chinese history – and explore why his poetry is still treasured by the Chinese people today.   Register on Eventbrite to attend here   Presented by Kensington Wade School […]

A chill hotpot social at an amazing restaurant for anyone who wants to chat about China.   Reserve on Eventbrite - £28 admission: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/young-sacu-hotpot-tickets-527219627097?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Join Dr Jenny Clegg, SACU Vice President, in conversation with leading experts in the fields of China, peace and defence: John Gittings, Keith Bennett, Tom Unterrainer and Dr Zeno Leoni. About the speakers Dr. Jenny Clegg is a researcher and author specialising in China and Asia Pacific affairs. Her book "China’s Global Strategy: Towards a Multipolar World" was published by Pluto Press in 2009. She is a longtime peace activist. Keith Bennett is a researcher and consultant on China’s international relations as well as the co-editor of ‘Friends of Socialist China’ platform. Tom Unterrainer is the Chair of the UK […]

Exhibition Curator Iris Yau (SACU Council) is in conversation on the ‘Mission’, the reaction from some churches and Christians to both the opium trade and China. Iris Yau (丘靜雯 FRSA FHEA) discusses Missionaries in China with Dr Debbie Challis (FRHS) and their role in the campaigning against the opium trade, the ambivalent view of the Church of England and eyewitnesses to the trade of it. Book on Eventbrite here (there is a charge): SACU members can attend the event free of charge, email the exhibition curator Iris Yau (SACU Council) for complimentary tickets: iris@sacu.org.uk   Iris Yau (SACU Council) at […]

2025 is the 60th Anniversary of SACU and so the aim of this year’s competition for senior school students is to encourage young people to explore the history of SACU through its digital archive database and other resources to produce a written essay or a piece of art. The competition is now open and welcomes entries from all senior school children and there are great prizes for the winners! Full details in the flyer here THEMES 1. How do you see the contribution of SACU and its significance to us today? SACU was founded by Dr. Joseph Needham in 1965 […]

SACU is co-host for this evening’s Lunar New Year concert celebrating music and cultural exchange at the Royal Academy of Music, together with the Sino-British Ensemble and the UK Beijing Arts Centre. All welcome. Our concert will feature musicians from diverse backgrounds, showcasing the power of cultural harmony through music, in celebration of Spring Festival and SACU's 60th anniversary year. SACU President Prof. Michael Wood will make the welcome speech. Sino-British Ensemble is an instrumental and vocal ensemble composed of young artists from the UK, including artists from China, UK, India and Germany performing innovative and fusion styles, as well […]

Welcome to our online event celebrating A wise and noble friend of China! George Hogg’s nephew and biographer tells about his uncle who became a legendary hero in China as an inspirational educator and co-operative leader during the war-torn 1930s and 40s. Hogg’s legacy is being celebrated in China this year, being the 110th anniversary of his birth and the 80th anniversary of his tragic, all too early, death. Speaker: Mark Aylwin Thomas, nephew of George Aylwin Hogg (1915-1945) and author of Hogg’s definitive biography, Blades of Grass. The biography has now been translated into Mandarin and published in Beijing […]

Classical music in China has gone through a fascinating process of evolution which followed the shape of the society and its continuous changes. Despite its fascinating history, full of lessons for many the world over, large elements of this music are unknown to many in the Western world. In this session, Dr Ben Lunn will discuss the circumstances that influenced five particularly significant composers - Xian Xinghai, Jian'er Zhu, Tan Dun, Wenchen Qin, Sel Nkbayar - drawing out how they adapted to the changing world around them. SACU is delighted to host this talk by member Dr Ben Lunn, composer […]

How to Eat: A Confucian Guide to Dining Together - Lecture for SACU Are table manners important? Confucius once said: “Exemplary persons do not take leave of their authoritative conduct even for the space of a meal.” Even during a meal, one’s consideration for the comfort of fellow diners provide pertinent opportunity to cultivate consummate conduct (ren 仁). Beyond avoiding a faux pas, eating together compels us to bring out the better part of ourselves with every mouthful. The Analects of Confucius, trans. Roger T. Ames and Henry Rosemont Jr. (New York: Ballantine Books, 1998), 90. This lecture is one […]

Anglo-Chinese Relations in an Upended World: Free online talk for SACU by Andrew K P Leung, SBS, FRSA Introduction: The liberal, value-and rules-based world order led by the United States since the end of the Second World War has now been upended by President Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) rules-of-the-jungle iconoclasm, rattling relations with the entire world, traditional allies not exempted. Many nations including EU Member States are recalibrating relationships with other regions and nations with growth potential, especially China, as the world's second largest economy, ideological and other risks regardless. As home to Adam Smith and the world's […]

How to Entertain: A Confucian Guide to Being the Host or Guest - Lecture for SACU The essence of propriety is to “be humble and respect others,” according to the Chinese classic on ritual. This dual sentiment is manifestly lived out in the interaction between host and guest, which can range from a casual visit to a friend to meeting parents-in-law for the first time. Through various situations, we examine how Confucian thought esteems adaptability to the context in these complementary roles. This lecture is one of a series: A Practical Guide for Every Day - The Art of Living […]