Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU)

Gallery Tour for members of SACU and The Meridian Society at the Brunei Gallery
2018-04-20 14:30 - 15:30 UTC | Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom
A private gallery tour for Meridian Society and SACU members at the exhibition of China and Siam: Through the Lens of John Thomson.
This will be a free, private tour for the first 20 members of The Meridian Society and SACU who apply and will be conducted by Betty Yao MBE. Booking is essential through The Meridian Society themeridiansociety@gmail.com

This is the first London exhibition of Scottish photographer John Thomson’s (1837-1921) work which encompasses his ten years in Asia. The exhibition will run from 13th April to 23nd June and includes images from newly discovered glass negatives held at the Wellcome Library, London. Exhibition co-curator and Meridian Society member Betty Yao MBE will follow John Thomson’s footsteps during his 10 years in Asia. She will highlight the people and places he photographed and divulge the story, the twists and turns behind the survival of this valuable collection through 150 years.

For more information on the exhibition go to www.johnthomsonexhibition.org. Related public lectures and study day will be listed.

Booking is essential through The Meridian Society themeridiansociety@gmail.com

Venue: Brunei Gallery|SOAS, University of London

Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG

SACU's Early Days: SACU Members Spring Social - Free Event
2018-04-17 18:30 - 22:00 | King’s College London, Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
– SACU ChinaCafe 2018 Series –

This is an opportunity for SACU members, OLD AND NEW, to get to know one another and learn about SACU’s early days from an informal slideshow followed by a trip to the bar for a drink or two!
SACU was founded in 1965 by Joseph Needham and others and in those days one of the very few ways that people from Britain could visit China was to join a SACU organised tour. The 1971 Tour was documented by Richard and Sally Greenhill, professional photographers, and we are delighted that Sally has agreed to come and show us some of the photos she took at the time. We are sure this will prompt a good conversation about SACU’s early days and its role in providing a window on China at that time.
We also think it would be great for SACU members to know more about our founder and his extraordinary contribution to building friendship and understanding between the peoples of China and the UK, so we will also show some slides about Joseph Needham and his work.
After the slideshow and discussion, we will move downstairs to the Bar where you can buy a drink and continue informal chats with fellow SACU members.
Please note this is a SACU members only event sacu.org.uk
The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) was founded over 50 years ago to promote friendship and understanding between the peoples of Britain and China and is open to all who subscribe to our aims. For more information about SACU and how to join please visit our website sacu.org.uk
With grateful thanks for the venue to The Lau China Institute, King’s College London.
Do Come and Join Us!

John Gittings talk on "China Watching" During the GPCR
2018-04-09 17:00 - 18:30 | College Buildings, Russell Square Campus, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square,, London, WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom
Long-time SACU member John Gittings will give a talk on “China Watching” during the GPCR (Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution) at SOAS on Monday 9 April at 5.00 pm. John Gittings is former Guardian East Asia Editor whose first trip to China was in 1971 with a SACU delegation. He spoke at our 50th Anniversary symposium on his memories of the early China tours he took with SACU.
Venue: Room G3, College Buildings. Russell Square Campus, SOAS University of London
This rescheduled talk is free and open to the public. No registration is required but admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Further information: https://www.soas.ac.uk/china-institute/events/seminars/09apr2018-china-watching-during-the-gpcr.html

Feast on Poetry – Free Writing Workshop (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 15:00 - 16:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Whet your appetite for culinary verse in this free poetry workshop focused on food.
In a session with a two course menu, first savour a recital of culinary poetry with time to understand and appreciate selected poems with poet, Jennifer Wong before cooking up your own food-inspired poems. No writing experience is necessary. The workshop is free and open to all but places are limited. Reserve yours now!
About the workshop leader, Jennifer Wong:
A Hong Kong native, Jennifer writes and teaches poetry. Her book, Goldfish (Chameleon Press) is a reflection on the myths, rituals and superstitions she grew up with. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia and is completing a PhD in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University. Her poems have been published in The Rialto, Stand, Oxford Poetry, The North, Magma (forthcoming), Asian Cha, Voice & Verse, Morning Star and others, while her translations and reviews have appeared in Poetry London and Poetry Review. She was Associate Lecturer in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University and now teaches at Citylit. Inspired by her interest in food, she also contributes food reviews to Asia Times.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
This event is part of the Hong Kong programme at China in Context, supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Yaji – An Elegant Gathering (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 14:00 - 17:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
A yaji 雅集 is an “elegant gathering” – a group of creative individuals getting together to enjoy art and various kinds of performance. It was a popular custom among the literati in China’s Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). Drop in as we re-create this vibrant atmosphere in the 21st Century with a chance to explore this fascinating Chinese tradition through music, calligraphy, painting, tea culture and other artistic mediums.

Admission is free but advance registration is necessary. The 2017 edition of this at China Exchange was one of the most popular events ever. Book your place now to avoid disappointment.
The 2018 yaji is created in partnership with the UK Chinese Ensemble; London Youlan Qin Society; China Design Centre; the Chinese Tea Company.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
To learn more about the Yaji, please click here.

Write Like an Artist – Chinese Calligraphy Workshop (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 14:00 - 15:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
In Chinese, calligraphy is referred to as Shufa, literally: the Way of Writing.
Ever since carving the first character into oracle bones over 3000 years ago, Chinese people have never ceased worked to perfect the art of writing. Today, calligraphy has developed into a complicated, yet beautiful system. Practising calligraphy is considered to be a way of cultivating one’s character.
In this workshop award-winning art teacher Jianchu Xu will guide you through history and techniques, and introduce you to the beauty of, Chinese calligraphy.
About the teacher:
Mr. Jianchu Xu is chairman of Chinese Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting Society in the UK. He won the Award of Excellence at the 2011 Chinese calligraphy competition held in the UK and the Special Award at the 2014 International Chinese Calligraphy Competition.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Stories Told in Chinese Painting (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 13:45 - 14:45 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Artists around the world and across the ages have drawn on literature as inspiration, re-telling narratives through painting, calligraphy and objects. Chinese artistic tradition often integrates painting and calligraphy within the same surface, combining visual and verbal traditions of storytelling. Yet for those unfamiliar with China’s expansive literary traditions, the tales told in Chinese painting can be inaccessible.
Join art expert Dr Malcolm McNeill, as he unpicks this complex tapestry of words and images. In this talk, Malcolm will help you ‘read’ Chinese art, introduce the most popular tales told in Chinese painting, and explore how visual narratives continue to contribute to Chinese literature into the modern period.
Dr McNeill is Chinese Paintings Specialist at Christie’s. Malcolm was formerly an Assistant Curator in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Asia Department, and a researcher on the British Museum exhibition ‘Ming: 50 Years that Changed China’. He holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London in the history of Chinese painting.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
In partnership with The Meridian Society.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Remembering the Chinese Labour Corps: talk by Dr Frances Wood
2018-03-18 12:45 - 13:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
140,000 men were recruited from China by Britain and France to serve during the First World War. Their contribution is yet to be recognised. In this free talk, Historian and SACU Vice President Dr Frances Wood will reveal the story of the Chinese Labour Corps, their invaluable contribution to the allied war effort, and why these men were written out of history. You will also hear more about a campaign which is raising funds for a permanent memorial to ensure the men are not forgotten.

This talk is part of China Exchange’s support for the Ensuring We Remember campaign and follows their 2017 exhibition of photographs of the Chinese Labour Corps, and Memorial Service.
Click here to find out more about the Ensuring We Remember campaign, and click here to watch the Channel 4 documentary Britain’s Forgotten Army.
This is a free event held in partnership with The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) sacu.org.uk
Please register to let China Exchange know you are going.

China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Family Corner With Hatching Dragons (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 12:00 - 16:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Drop-in to the free Family Corner to get crafty and learn some Mandarin with Hatching Dragons – the UK’s only bilingual nursery provider. The whole family can get involved in Chinese paper cutting and folding, get inspired by books in our storytelling corner, and be wowed by the shadow puppet play. You can make your own dragon puppets and Beijing Opera masks to take home, and your littlest ones can get creative with our playdough and bouncy ring.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Sunday Lunch (Writing) With Ching He Huang 黄瀞亿 (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-18 12:00 - 13:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Get inspired by TV Chef, award-winning cookery author and international ambassador for Chinese cooking Ching He Huang, as she shares her passion for writing about Chinese food. Born in Taiwan and raised in the UK and South Africa, cookery has been a vital connection between Ching and her Chinese heritage. Ching’s approach to cookery stems from the traditional cooking and lifestyles of her farming community grandparents in Southern Taiwan. Her creative food ethos is to use fresh, organic and ethically sourced ingredients to create modern dishes with Chinese heritage, fusing tradition and innovation.
In this talk Ching will discuss how she strives to bridge cultural understanding through food, how her cookbooks make Chinese cooking accessible to wider audiences, and share her top tips for writing about food.
Ching is an Emmy nominated TV chef and award winning cookery author and has published eight bestselling cookbooks, the most recent being Stir Crazy, which hit the number 1 spot on Amazon in Chinese Food and Drink.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

The Legend of Jin Yong 金庸 (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 16:30 - 17:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Known as China’s Tolkien, Jin Yong 金庸 is a house-hold name throughout East Asia, with his fantasy epics selling over 300 million copies. Yet his works have remained a mystery in the West. Now a new English translation is opening up the legend for English-speaking readers. Meet young translator Anna Holmwood to hear how she “translated the untranslatable” in this event celebrating Jin Yong’s life and works at China Exchange on 17 March.
Book now for a chance to win a copy of the new English translation of the Legend of The Condor Heroes at the event – the top three questions asked during the audience Q&A will win a book.
About the speakers
Anna Holmwood
Anna, who is now based in Sweden, studied Chinese at Oxford University before discovering Jin Yong’s works in Taipei and moving to Hangzhou in China while she worked on the translation. She said the experience had made a “disciple” of her and Jin Yong her “shifu”. “It has been an intense and exhilarating experience to see the attention the English edition is getting after so many years sitting alone at my computer and grappling with every word and sentence,” she said. “I approach the whole project with a humble heart; I have learned so much over the course of these years that I should say that Jin Yong is my shifu, and I am his xuemei, his disciple.”
Soo Cole
Soo is the co-founder and director of Fighting Spirit Film Festival which is now in its third year. It focuses on supporting, promoting, inspiring, connecting, and recognising those involved with martial arts and action films. She currently trains in Shaolin martial arts.
Dr Xiaoning Lu
Dr Xiaoning Lu is Lecturer in Modern Chinese Culture and Language at SOAS, University of London. She received her master’s degree in modern Chinese literature from Fudan University, China and PhD in comparative literature from Stony Brook University, USA. As a scholar of literature as well as film, she has published articles on modern Chinese literature, Chinese cinema and socialist culture.
Hi Ching
Hi Ching was born in London and brought up in Singapore. He studied at the Royal Ballet School and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and went on to dance with the Frankfurt Ballet, Royal Opera, and English National Opera. He then worked as a professional actor, appearing on TV, film and stage before turning to directing, producing, writing and composing. He was Artistic Director of FIPA (Foundation for Indian Performing Arts), River Cultures, and is currently Artistic Director of TICCulture.
This event is delivered in partnership with Asia House and is part of the Hong Kong programme at China in Context and is supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Mandarin Taster Language Lesson: Children (part of the China in context Festival)
2018-03-17 15:00 - 15:45 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Thinking of Learning Mandarin?
Join our the introductory language workshop at China Exchange and get to know:

How the phonetic system works
The useful day-to-day phrases
The basic elements of Chinese characters
Most importantly, how to learn the language with fun and efficiency!

This workshop is suitable for children aged 4 and over. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
For children under the age of 4, we are running free drop-in Kids’ Corner on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March from 12-4pm in the Book Fair.
About the teachers:

Wangzhen Ni

Wangzhen is a native Mandarin speaker. She comes from an applied linguistics background and holds a bachelor’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She is currently Manager of Guanghwa Bookshop, the leading Chinese bookshop in the UK.

Xianping Bai

Xianping is an experienced language teacher, book publisher, and a mother of two. She is the founder of the London Reading Club, a community highly passionate about reading and education; she is also currently the Publishing Project Manager of Cypress Books, the Chinese language specialist publisher with over 30 years of expertise in the industry.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Xue Xinran: 10 Years since Miss Chopsticks (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 14:30 - 15:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
On Saturday 17 March leading British-Chinese writer and author of The Good Women of China, Xue Xinran薛欣然 will join China in Context. Xue Xinran was an established broadcaster in China and the country’s first agony aunt, before she turned her hand to writing. Much of her work is based on the stories of real people she met in China. Miss Chopsticks, published in 2008, follows the experiences of three young female migrant workers who moved to the city of Nanjing in search of work and opportunities. During this talk, Xinran will reflect on the changes she has seen since the publication of her seminal novel Miss Chopsticks a decade ago, and how the stories in her works translate for today’s readers. China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Please check the event website for details of ticket types, prices and booking fees.

Mandarin Taster Language Lesson: Adults (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 14:00 - 14:45 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Thinking of Learning Mandarin?
Join the free introductory language workshop at China Exchange and get to know:

How the phonetic system works
The useful day-to-day phrases
The basic elements of Chinese characters
Most importantly, how to learn the language with fun and efficiency!

The event is free, please register with China Exchange to let them know that you are going.
About the teachers:

Wangzhen Ni

Wangzhen is a native Mandarin speaker. She comes from an applied linguistics background and holds a bachelor’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She is currently Manager of Guanghwa Bookshop, the leading Chinese bookshop in the UK.

Xianping Bai

Xianping is an experienced language teacher, book publisher, and a mother of two. She is the founder of the London Reading Club, a community highly passionate about reading and education; she is also currently the Publishing Project Manager of Cypress Books, the Chinese language specialist publisher with over 30 years of expertise in the industry.
The event is free, please register with China Exchange to let them know that you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Winnie M Li – Translating Personal Experience Into Fiction (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 13:30 - 14:15 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Join China Exchange in welcoming Winnie M Li, author, activist and film producer to China in Context. During this talk, Li will be in conversation with BBC Journalist Helier Cheung, discussing the process and challenges of translating personal experience into fiction.
Li’s debut novel Dark Chapter is a fictionalised account of her own experience as the victim of sexual assault. Through the character of Vivian, a cosmopolitan Taiwanese-American tourist, Li’s novel explores both the trauma of violent sexual assault and also looks inside the mind of the perpetrator.
A Harvard graduate, Li has programmed for film festivals, written for travel guidebooks and produced independent feature films such as Cashback (2006), The Broken (2008), and Flashbacks of a Fool (2008). Dark Chapter won The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious Edgar Award for Best First Novel, the Sl Leeds Literary Prize, and CWA Debut Dagger. It will be translated into eight languages.
The conversation will be compered by Helier Cheung, an editor and reporter for the BBC news website. Helier began her career as a civil servant and then a BBC news trainee, before working as an Asia specialist and Hong Kong correspondent for the BBC.
Join us to discover how personal experience can be translated into fiction, the work behind publishing a first novel, and Winnie’s plans for the future.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Family Corner With Hatching Dragons (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 12:00 - 16:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Drop-in to the free Family Corner at China Exchange to get crafty and learn some Mandarin with Hatching Dragons – the UK’s only bilingual nursery provider. The whole family can get involved in Chinese paper cutting and folding, get inspired by books in the storytelling corner, and be wowed by the shadow puppet play. You can make your own dragon puppets and Beijing Opera masks to take home, and your littlest ones can get creative with the playdough and bouncy ring.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

In Conversation with Su Tong 苏童 (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-17 12:00 - 13:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Su Tong 苏童 is the pen name of Chinese writer Tong Zhonggui 童忠贵. Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize and a Man Booker International Prize nominee, Su Tong is known for his controversial writing style, and has written seven full-length novels and over 200 short stories. His acclaimed book Wives and Concubines was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Raise the Red Lantern 大红灯笼高高挂 by internationally renowned director Zhang Yimou 张艺谋.
In this talk, Su Tong will discuss his writing career and the themes behind some of his most acclaimed works. Su Tong will speak in Mandarin with an English interpreter.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Please check the event website for details of ticket types, prices and booking fees.

Shine from Dust: A Dialogue With Lu Nei 路内 (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-16 18:00 - 19:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Visit China Exchange for a dialogue with Lu Nei, widely regarded in China as one of the leading authors of his generation. Born in the 1970s, Lu Nei’s best known novel Young Babylon 《少年巴比伦》tells the story of a young factory worker in China in 1990s, who is caught up in the drastic social changes taking place around him. Young Babylon was translated into English by Poppy Toland, and was adapted into a film in 2017.
At this event Lu Nei will be in conversation with two well-known translators who have contributed greatly to Chinese literature translation: Rachel Henson and Nicky Harman.
Rachel Henson is a translator and artist. Her recent work includes the translation of Lu Nei’s short story: Keep Running, Little Brother（阿弟，你慢慢跑）, Shanghainese playwright Nick Yu’s work on the 2008 earthquake, and the theatrical adaptation of Zhang Henshui’s White Snake.
Nicky Harman is one of the UK’s leading translators. Her most recent work is a translation of Jia Pingwa’s novel Happy Dreams《高兴》.
This is a free event. Please register with China Exchange to let them know you are going.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.

Chinese Language Teaching in the UK 汉语教学拓展日 (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-16 12:30 - 17:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
The annual China in Context festival brings together Chinese writers, translators and language expers from across the UK and the world to celebrate writers and writing from and about China. Our Chinese Teaching Day is the ideal opportunity to brush up on the latest thinking in Chinese language teaching.
In this free event, Chinese language teachers will hear from expert speakers on the latest thinking in teaching Chinese in the UK. There will also be the opportunity to meet authors of best-selling textbooks, who will share their views on teaching Chinese in primary schools, secondary schools and higher education.
This is a valuable opportunity for professional development and networking. Three sessions will cover: tips for GCSE exam preparation, how to foster a passion for Chinese study in students, and the top twenty essential topics for teaching Business Chinese. Participants will also receive a special discount at the China in Context Book Fair, with its unrivalled collection of Chinese learning and teaching titles.
This is a free event, please click on “register” (below) to book your seats.
Sessions:
12:30 – 2:00 pm
Happier Study, Easier Exam — A Simple Solution to GCSE Chinese (Speaker: Ranran Du) Register
2:15 – 3:30 pm
Ways to Get Your Students Interested in Learning Chinese (Speaker: Qi Chen) Register
3:45 – 4:45 pm
Business Chinese: 20 Essential Topics (Speaker: Yinghong Huang) Register

Multi-Dimensional China: Where Steel Forests Meet Red Earth (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-15 19:15 - 20:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
In this discussion, two renowned translators will unveil two different faces of China: urban and rural.
Whist city residents witnessed drastic urban developments and gentrification movements, with both excitement and confusion, migrant workers from rural areas carried each brick on their backs and moved forward with struggles and reflections.
How has life changed in China’s cities and countryside throughout the decades? How did China’s urban and rural stories confront, interlink and integrate? Join China Exchange to find out!
About the speakers:

Nicky Harman

Nicky is a prolific Chinese to English translator and co-chair of the Translators Association (Society of Authors). Her most recent work, the translation of Jia Pingwa’s novel Happy Dreams, depicts life in industrializing contemporary China as seen through the eyes of Happy Liu, a charming and clever rural labourer who leaves his home for the gritty harsh streets of Xi’an in search of better life.

Michelle Deeter

Michelle has been a Chinese to English translator and interpreter since 2007. Together with Nicky Harman, she translated Paper Tiger, which paints a portrait of the world’s second-largest economy via a thoughtful and wide-ranging series of mini essays on contemporary Chinese society. Her other works include Feng Tang’s Beijing, Beijing and Chen Zijin’s The Untouched Crime, which reveals the life in modern China through a variety of perspectives.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Please check the event website for details of ticket types, prices and booking fees.

China in Context Book Fair - at China Exchange
2018-03-15 12:00 - 2018-03-18 20:00 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
The China in Context book fair weekend will run each day 12.00pm-20.00pm from 15-18 March – extended by an extra day due to its popularity in 2017. With a book fair of over 1000 titles curated by Cypress Books, there will be enough to keep even the most voracious book worm satisfied!
Showcasing a vast range of books about China from all genres including classical and contemporary literature, Chinese learning materials, children’s books, history and biographies, politics, society and economy, culture, philosophy and religion, medicine and health, and arts and supplies. Immerse yourself in the comfortable and welcoming atmosphere created for all book lovers.
Whether you are Chinese, a committed Sinologist or a curious passerby, come in and spend some time exploring what the book fair has to offer. Perhaps enjoy a cup of tea and let a book lead you on a China-inspired journey in the cosy reading area, or join one of the many activities happening in the building that celebrate writers and writing from and about China.
If you’re attending China in Context events outside of the book fair weekend, you can browse the special pop-up book fair located on the ground floor at China Exchange.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Supported by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, New World Press, Tuttle Publishing, Beijing Language & Culture University Press, CYPI Press, Peking University Press, People’s Education Press, Sinolingua & Sinolingua London.

Commemoration Ceremony to Honour the Chinese Labour Corps in Folkestone
2018-03-14 14:30 - 15:30 | Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Sandgate, Folkestone, CT20 3HA, United Kingdom
During World War I, almost 100,000 Chinese labourers were recruited by the British Army to provide logistical help at the Front. The majority passed through Folkestone on their way to mainland Europe and many stayed over for one night in a camp at the foot of the Downs. A steady number of around 2,000 were kept in the town to carry out manual labour at Shorncliffe Army Camp and the surrounding area.
Six members of the Chinese Labour Corps are buried at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery mostly victims of the Spanish ’flu or tuberculosis. It is unlikely that their descendants know of the existence of these graves. Therefore in remembrance of them and their compatriots who served at the Front a commemoration service will be held in this final year of the centenary of the Great War.
The ceremony, co-hosted by The Meridian Society and Shorncliffe Station, will be held at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery and will be attended by the Mayor of Folkestone and other dignitaries, local societies and school students together with a number of descendants whose ancestors served as officers of the Chinese Labour Corps. If you or your group would like to lay a wreath please advise The Meridian Society in advance so that they can allocate a space and time-slot.
After the ceremony all those attending are invited to light refreshments at the Sergeants’ Mess in Sir John Moore Barracks.
RSVP by Sunday 11th March if you will be joining the ceremony.

A Simple Life with Roger Lee (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-13 18:45 - 21:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Join China Exchange to welcome one of Hong Kong’s most renowned screen writers and film producers, Roger Lee 李恩霖.
Producer of many award winning films, including Our Time Will Come明月几時有, Summer Snow, 女人四十 and his most internationally acclaimed film A Simple Life《桃姐》, Roger’s works have marked a transformative phase in Hong Kong cinema. He has worked with acclaimed Hong Kong New Wave filmmakers such as Ann Hui 許鞍華, Tsui Hark 徐克, Yim Ho 嚴浩, John Woo 吳宇森, and Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau 劉德華 and Deanie Ip 葉德嫻. His book Taojie and Me 桃姐與我was published in March 2012.
Mr Lee has also written for the stage, and co-wrote a stage play The Amahs 金蘭姊妹for Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2015 on the subject of domestic workers in the fifties and sixties. He is currently writing a book for a stage musical for the 2019 Hong Kong Arts Festival on the subject of autistic and dyslexic young adults.
In this talk, Mr Lee will discuss his film career and how his real life experiences became the blue print for A Simple Life, which he co-wrote with Susan Chan. The film is based on the true story of Lee’s housemaid Taojie, who worked for the Lee family for four generations. The talk will be followed by a screening of the film.
This event is part of the Hong Kong programme at China in Context and is supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Please check the event website for details of ticket types, prices and booking fees.

Forgotten Allies - The Chinese Labour Corps in the First World War, Talk by Dr Frances Wood
2018-03-12 14:00 - 16:00 | Folkestone Museum, The Town Hall, 1-2 Guildhall Street, Folkestone, CT20 1DY, United Kingdom
Dr Frances Wood, former Keeper of Chinese Collections at the British Library and Vice President of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU), has written a number of books on China of which the most recent is Betrayed Ally: China in the Great War. Her talk will uncover the secret treaties, alliances and agreements that various political powers signed behind the scenes while the Chinese labourers were toiling at the Front. Frances will be happy to sign copies of her book which are on sale in the museum bookshop.

George Hogg Fund meeting
2018-03-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Camden Chinese Community Centre, 9 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SN, United Kingdom
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The Future is Female - with Roseann Lake (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-07 18:30 - 19:30 | Guanghwa Bookshop, 112 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, W1D 5EJ, United Kingdom
Join Guanghwa Bookshop to discover how it is single women who are the most powerful force in ushering the world’s next superpower into a new future. Across the globe, young women are re-writing the rule book for their early adult years and relationships, delaying marriage and children to pursue education and careers, driving economies forward. Despite the enduring social stigma behind being ‘leftover’, Chinese women are no exception.
Roseann Lake joins the China in Context festival to discuss how women having greater control over their careers, finances and fertility, is the key to a successful economic future, be it in China, North America, Africa, Europe, or anywhere.
This talk is part of the China in Context festival, organized by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
The talk will be followed by a book signing.
About Roseann Lake
Roseann Lake is a journalist and producer for the Economist, and author of Leftover in China: The Women Shaping the World’s Next Superpower. She was a television reporter in China for 5 years and has written for the Atlantic, Time, Salon, and Foreign Policy, among others. She lives in New York City.
This free event is held at Guanghwa Bookshop (address below) and please register to let the bookshop know you are going.

An Evening with Yan Geling (part of the China in Context Festival)
2018-03-05 18:30 - 19:30 | China Exchange, 32A Gerrard Street, London, W1D 6JA, United Kingdom
Join China Exchange for the opening event of their China in Context festival with best-selling contemporary Chinese writer Yan Geling 严歌苓.

Author of many novels, novellas and short stories, including The Lost Daughter of Happiness, The Uninvited, The Flowers of War, Little Aunt Crane and White Snake and Other Stories, Ms Yan’s works have been adapted for the screen by internationally acclaimed directors, such as Zhang Yimou 张艺谋, Chen Kaige 陈凯歌 and Feng Xiaogang 冯小刚.
Ms. Yan will be in conversation with two of her translators, Nicky Harman and Lawrence Walker, discussing the impact of her acclaimed novels, translating from Chinese into English, and transforming her works into film.
China in Context is organised by China Exchange and Cypress Books.
Please check the event website for details of ticket types, prices and booking fees.

Happiness and Health in Chinese Propaganda Posters
2018-03-02 12:30 - 14:30
Access rarely seen posters from the Archives of the University of Westminster and learn about happiness and health in China under high socialism. Meet the Archivists who will be on hand to talk about the work, and learn about research on Chinese conceptions of happiness and Chinese migrants’ mental health conducted in Soho.
Led by Anna McNally, Senior Archivist at the University of Westminster, Gerda Wielander, Reader in Chinese Studies and Cangbai Wang and Derek Hird, both Senior Lecturers in Chinese Studies, in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.
The event forms part of the University’s Difference Festival.
“Although some of our posters have been exhibited before, attention has often focussed on the representation of the Cultural Revolution within the collection. We are hoping to use this event as an opportunity to look at some of the lesser-known aspects of the collection and to present a broader picture of Chinese society in the 20th century. My colleagues will also be discussing some of their recent research with Chinese migrants in London.” Anna McNally, Senior Archivist at the University of Westminster.

Researching the Chinese Labour Corps: Talk by Brian Fawcett
2018-02-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Folkestone Museum, The Town Hall, 1-2 Guildhall Street, Folkestone, CT20 1DY, United Kingdom
Researching the Chinese Labour Corps: How it started and what I found
Speaker Brian Fawcett worked in the Far East for many years and was an active member of the Royal Asiatic Society. It was at the request of the RAS that he, with the help of his wife Claudine, began a period of in-depth research into what was then, and to a large extent still is, a relatively unknown story. Brian’s findings were published in the journal of the Hong Kong branch of the RAS and have been an important resource for subsequent researchers.
This free talk is part of a series of events at Folkestone Museum
Folkestone Museum and The Meridian Society’s Chinese Labour Corps Heritage project (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund) are organising this talk as part of their series of events and activities to help raise awareness within the community of the largely untold story of the CLC and the involvement of the town in their history.

SACU Recruitment Group and other Teams meetings
2018-02-25 14:30 - 18:00 | Camden Chinese Community Centre, 9 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SN, United Kingdom
Details of meetings to follow. Change of venue confirmed (NOT Zizzi’s this time):
2.30-4.00 pm SACU Recruitment Group
4.00-5.00 pm George Hogg Fundraising Group
5.00-6.00 pm Executive Committee
