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 […]

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 […]

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). […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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.

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 […]