Anglo-Chinese Relations in an Upended World
2025-07-16 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
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 leading proponent of free (and fair) trade, the United Kingdom is well poised to re-examine and re-explore opportunities for more fruitful relations with a changing China, including Hong Kong.
Short Bio: Andrew K P Leung, SBS, FRSA, International and Independent China Strategist with decades of experience and insight on China’s development, including as Hong Kong’s chief representative for the UK and eastern Europe, Russia, Switzerland, Norway and EU applicant countries.
See more about Andrew Leung on his website here
Please reserve your place on Eventbrite here

How to Entertain: A Confucian Guide to Being the Host or Guest
2025-07-17 19:00 - 20:00
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 from The Confucian Tradition
Series two – Making Friends and Entertaining (Series two, May – July 2025)
Lecture 6. How to Entertain: A Confucian Guide to Being the Host or Guest (17 July 2025)
Confucius lived over 2000 years ago, yet his influence remains very strong in China. During the Han dynasty, ‘Confucianism’ was adopted as the underlying ideology for imperial rule and family order. Throughout China’s history, Confucianism has been challenged, reinterpreted, and appropriated. From the 20th century, after a period of disfavour, politicians and educationalists in China are once again turning to Confucianism for guidance.
This event is free but registration is required. Please book on Eventbrite here.
To understand what Confucianism is, SACU is pleased that experts Dr Katherine Ngo and Dr Kelly Ngo, from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, will be running a series of seminars for us in 2025, our 60th year.

Dr Katherine Ngo

Dr Kelly Ngo

This event is free but registration is required. Please book on Eventbrite here.
Full Programme of the Seminar Series here
The seminar series will run monthly on the third Thursday of each month at 7.00-8.00pm UK time (with a month’s break between each series). Just before each seminar, a Zoom meeting link will be sent to those that have registered via Eventbrite.
These seminars are open at all. Attendees are invited to join SACU here
Photo credits: Dr Katherine Ngo & Dr Kelly Ngo

The Lisbon Maru: Chinese and British Friendships Forged
2025-08-13 19:00 - 20:00
THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

The Lisbon Maru: Chinese and British Friendships Forged “In the Flames of War” and Developed in Times of Peace – Online Talk by Brian Finch

Brief Introduction/ Background to the Topic

Background to the speaker’s interest; how Fang Li came across the story and developed a passion for the subject – at very considerable personal cost; the significance of the story; the success of the film; the connection with President Xi Jinping; the memorials in both the UK and China and the relationship between Ambassador Zheng Zeguang and the relatives of the Lisbon Maru POWs; the future?

Brief Biography: Brian Finch

Commissioned into The Middlesex Regiment in 1960; became aware of the Lisbon Maru atrocity; posted to Hong Kong to learn Chinese; spent some 15 years in Hong Kong learning about China and Hong Kong; met members of The Lisbon Maru Association of Hong Kong and discovered their links to the fishermen of Zhoushan; translated into English a book the Association had written (in Chinese) about the incident as told by the fishermen; became Military Adviser to Fang Li’s documentary film “The Sinking of The Lisbon Maru”; helped build a Lisbon Maru Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum; helped Chinese Ambassador Zheng Zeguang and the Embassy develop friendships with relatives of POWs who were on the Lisbon Maru.

This online event is free. Please book through Eventbrite here

Echoes of War, Visions of Peace – Invitation to SACU members
2025-08-26 18:00 - 21:00 | Bluecoat Gallery, 8 School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX, United Kingdom
SACU is co-host with CMG and CGTN and all SACU members are cordially invited to attend.
Event: “Echoes of War, Visions of Peace”, to mark the end of World War II
Day/Time: Tuesday 26 August, 6.00-9.00pm
Venue: Bluecoat Gallery, 8 School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX
Programme:

Panel of world experts to discuss the crucial but often forgotten role of China in World War II.
Witness to War – The Story of George Hogg, documentary film screening
The film will incorporate footage recorded during our April SACU “Footsteps of George Hogg” Tour
Dr Frances Wood, SACU Vice President, will be on the panel and Mark Aylwin Thomas (SACU), George Hogg’s nephew and biographer, will be in the audience.

RSVP: details have already been circulated to members.
Please email membership@sacu.org.uk with any questions about this event.

What China Taught me about my country and its culture
2025-09-17 19:00 - 20:00
Huge’s latest book is on a subject that matters to every thinking Briton: WHO ARE WE, and how will we survive in the Age of Asia?

“I first went to China in the 1970s when even a youngster such as I could see that both China and the UK were in dire straits. In the subsequent 15 years, remarkable leaders of both countries arose to tackle what they saw as the disintegration of their societies. Although both countries changed, thanks to their guidance, it has become apparent that China has been much more successful in escaping from those straits. Our two countries are very different, in size as in history, but is there anything the British could learn from China’s experience, that would help us rejuvenate?” – Professor Hugo de Burgh.

Sort biography of Hugo de Burgh

Hugo ‘Huge’ de Burgh has just published WHO ARE WE, and how will we survive in the Age of Asia? (CamRivers 2024), which looks at the UK in the light of his experiences of Chinese people. He was first in China in 1972 as a young gofer on the British Industrial Technology Exhibition. From being a community development worker and then broadcast journalist in Scotland, he went on to teach journalism in Nottingham, in London and in China, along the way publishing books such as China’s Media in the Emerging World Order (Legend 2021). In 2017 he founded Europe’s only bilingual English-Chinese school, Kensington Wade, in London. He has just completed a fourth term at Tsinghua University, as Walt Disney Professor of Media in Schwarzman,the US college of International Relations.

Reserve you free place on Eventbrite here

SACU's 60th Anniversary Celebration
2025-09-20 10:00 - 17:00 | King’s College London, Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
Join us for our Celebration Day on 20th September when we will commemorate both SACU’s 60th Anniversary and George Hogg’s 110th Anniversary.
Speakers include:

Professor Michael Wood, SACU President
Professor Kerry Brown, LAU China Institute KCL
Mark Aylwin Thomas, author of George Hogg’s biography
Professor Sun Hua, Peking University and co-sponsor of the SACU/PKU Essay-Art Competition.

We are also honoured to have a Senior Representative from the Chinese Embassy. The President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Deputy Director of FAO Gansu Provincial Government will attend with delegations from China.

友 Speeches
友 Essay-Art Competition Awards to School Students
友 Musical piece especially composed for SACU at 60 by Dr Ben Lunn (SACU)
友 Panel discussion
友 CGTN 30 minute documentary Witness to War – the story of George Hogg – will be screened.
Sponsorship
We are delighted that the LAU China Institute of King’s Collage London has provided us with the Safra Lecture Theatre and Great Hall in the KCL main building on the Strand, London. The Chinese Embassy are kindly sponsoring lunch and Peking University are sponsoring the printing and materials. SACU is extremely grateful for this level of sponsorship which will enable us to have a splendid day marking both these important events.
Tickets are free but registration is required. Please book here on Eventbrite.
Everyone is welcome at what is set to be a really interesting and enjoyable day! Refreshments and lunch are included.
Full Programme here
George Hogg in China. Copyright St George’s School, Harpenden

How to work together: A Confucian guide to workplace relations
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:00
We may spend more time during the day and most days of the week with colleagues than family members, which makes work relations vital to realising the good life. In early Confucian thought, the shared goal of mutual personal growth for both leader and subordinate was to ensure a thriving community. We bring to light how the seemingly hierarchical work setting accommodated a dynamic nature to the relationship – drawing on Confucius and other exemplars who creatively engaged with others even in difficult situations.

Confucius lived over 2000 years ago, yet his influence remains very strong in China. During the Han dynasty, ‘Confucianism’ was adopted as the underlying ideology for imperial rule and family order. Throughout China’s history, Confucianism has been challenged, reinterpreted, and appropriated. From the 20th century, after a period of disfavour, politicians and educationalists in China are once again turning to Confucianism for guidance.
In order to understand what Confucianism is, SACU is pleased that experts Dr Katherine Ngo and Dr Kelly Ngo, from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, will be running a series of seminars for us in 2025, our 60th year.

Dr Katherine Ngo

Dr Kelly Ngo

This is Lecture 7 in Series 3 ‘In the world of work and study’.
Each lecture will be approximately 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions using the Zoom chat function so that the speakers can respond to as many points as possible.
Registration on Eventbrite is required here
Just before each seminar, a Zoom meeting link will be sent to those that have registered via Eventbrite.
This seminar series is free and open to all. We invite attendees to join SACU here

How to lead: A Confucian guide to wise leadership
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:00
Leadership has never been easy – even over two thousand years ago in ancient China. Confucius and those who followed in his footsteps travelled to various states to offer ideas on better leadership for all levels of government. They argued that wise leadership is not a skill developed in isolation, but rather the culmination of an embodied virtuosity in interactions. For example, the exemplary Shun developed within a dysfunctional family, influencing his closest family members as well as his community and state.

Confucius lived over 2000 years ago, yet his influence remains very strong in China. During the Han dynasty, ‘Confucianism’ was adopted as the underlying ideology for imperial rule and family order. Throughout China’s history, Confucianism has been challenged, reinterpreted, and appropriated. From the 20th century, after a period of disfavour, politicians and educationalists in China are once again turning to Confucianism for guidance.
In order to understand what Confucianism is, SACU is pleased that experts Dr Katherine Ngo and Dr Kelly Ngo, from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, will be running a series of seminars for us in 2025, our 60th year.

Dr Katherine Ngo

Dr Kelly Ngo

This is Lecture 8 in Series 3 ‘In the world of work and study’.
Each lecture will be approximately 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions using the Zoom chat function so that the speakers can respond to as many points as possible.
Registration on Eventbrite is required here
Just before each seminar, a Zoom meeting link will be sent to those that have registered via Eventbrite.
This seminar series is free and open to all. We invite attendees to join SACU here

How to learn: A Confucian guide to studying
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:00
In the very first line of the Analects, Confucius states: “Learning and constant practice – is it not enjoyable?” Many are engaged in different forms of learning through school or work but may not necessarily find the process enjoyable. This presentation analyses the learning, practice, and time element in Confucius’ famous quote to glean lessons for learners today.

Confucius lived over 2000 years ago, yet his influence remains very strong in China. During the Han dynasty, ‘Confucianism’ was adopted as the underlying ideology for imperial rule and family order. Throughout China’s history, Confucianism has been challenged, reinterpreted, and appropriated. From the 20th century, after a period of disfavour, politicians and educationalists in China are once again turning to Confucianism for guidance.
In order to understand what Confucianism is, SACU is pleased that experts Dr Katherine Ngo and Dr Kelly Ngo, from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, will be running a series of seminars for us in 2025, our 60th year.

Dr Kelly Ngo

Dr Katherine Ngo

This is Lecture 9 in Series 3 ‘In the world of work and study’.
Each lecture will be approximately 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes for discussion. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions using the Zoom chat function so that the speakers can respond to as many points as possible.
Registration on Eventbrite is required here
Just before each seminar, a Zoom meeting link will be sent to those that have registered via Eventbrite.
This seminar series is free and open to all. We invite attendees to join SACU here
