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 […]

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 […]