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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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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.

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 […]

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). […]