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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]