Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU)

Michael Sheringham: Living and Teaching in Beijing in the 1970s - SACU ChinaChat Series "Your Stories with China"
2021-05-15 14:00 - 15:30 UTC
Michael Sheringham will be in conversation with SACU Archivist Dr Linxi Li on his experiences of living and teaching in Beijing. This is the latest in our series “Your Stories with China” SACU ChinaChats.
Michael studied Chinese at Durham and Cambridge Universities, becoming an active SACU member in its early years after 1967. Michael joined the 1971 SACU tour and he was invited to teach English at Peking University (Beida) in 1972, staying there until 1978. This was the period of the ‘Revolution in Education’, which he experienced at first hand. He will illustrate his talk with his own photographs.
Saturday 15th May from 2.00pm by Zoom.
SACU ChinaChats are members-only meetings for members to meet and discuss China-related topics.
Read Michael’s article, Living and Teaching in Beijing in the 1970s, first published in China Eye, Issue (51) Autumn 2016.
The Zoom link for members to join this event has been included in the May newsletter.

Standing Up To Sinophobia: from Fu Manchu to Bat Soup
2021-04-06 17:30 - 19:00
The increase in hate crime against Chinese people is alarming. As an organisation with the mission to build friendship and understanding between the peoples of China and the UK, it is important that we provide a platform and facilitate dialogue that will help understand this terrible feature of British society and work with others to tackle it.
Dr Jenny Clegg SACU Vice-President will open the event with a presentation on Fu Manchu.
A distinguished panel will look at the distinctive nature of Sinophobia and how we might tackle it:

Dr Diana Yeh Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Culture and the Creative Industries and Associate Dean (EDI), School of Arts and Social Sciences, City, University of London
Anna Chen ChineseBritish writer, Poet and Broadcaster who blogs as Madam Miaow @MadamMiaow
Yeow Poon Chair of the Chinese Community Centre –Birmingham, a leading member of CARG UK (Covid-19 Anti-RacismGroup)
Sabby Dhalu Co-Convenor of Stand Up To Racism

There will be a short time for Questions and Answers (send to membership@sacu.org.uk in advance)
The event will close with a set from Ken Cheng, British born Chinese professional Poker Player, a comedian, a BBC New Comedy Award finalist who explores Sinophobia through his art.
This event is Free. Please register on Eventbrite and join us (Zoom link will be sent nearer the time):
https://sacu-standing-up-to-sinophobia.eventbrite.co.uk

Neil Taylor in conversation with SACU Archivist Linxi Li
2021-03-27 14:00 - 15:00
SACU ChinaChat Series – “Your Stories with China”: Neil Taylor in conversation with SACU Archivist Linxi Li
There was a time in the 1960s and 1970s when travel to China by Westerners was very limited. At this pivotal stage of its modern development, SACU offered one of the only ways of going on a tour to China. Strange to say now, participants needed to pass an interview before being considered to go on the tour, so it was a rare opportunity.
The opening of China in 1980s generated a wider public interest and SACU, which was able to expand tours, forming its own professional tour company. By 1985, there were over 10,000 members at one time or another. Guardian journalist John Gittings, BBC broadcaster David Attenborough and novelist Iris Murdoch all visited China through SACU tours.
Neil Taylor, a founder member of SACU and an expert on tourism, is going to share his experiences.
This is a SACU ChinaChat for members only. The March newsletter sent to members included the link to this event.
Questions? Please email membership@sacu.org.uk
Regent Holidays advertisement in China Now Jan/Feb 1979
Above: Liangshan’s welcome, August 1978, cover of China Now, Jan/Feb 1979

SACU Council and Working Groups Meetings, Saturday 20 February 2021
2021-02-20 11:00 - 16:00
SACU Council (morning) and three Working Groups Meetings (afternoon).
The next meeting of SACU’s Council of Management takes place on Saturday 20th February, 11.00am – 1.00pm by Microsoft Teams. A Calendar Invite will be sent to SACU Council members
In the afternoon, all SACU members are invited to join one of SACU’s three Working Groups meetings by Zoom.
2.30 Welcome
2.45 Break up into Working Group meetings
3.30 Council meeting reconvened
4.00 Meeting close
The three groups are:

Public Education (led by Zoe Reed)
Membership Support and Development (led by Ros Wong)
China Connections and Heritage (led by Fang Wang).

Agendas and Zoom links to be sent out to members with the February newsletter.
Please email for further information: membership@sacu.org.uk

The May Fourth Movement and its Cultural Impact: a SACU ChinaChat
2021-01-21 18:00 - 19:00
SACU ChinaChat online event for SACU members:
The May Fourth Movement and its Cultural Impact, a discussion led by Rob Stallard and Michael Sheringham, Thursday 21 January, 6.00-7.00 pm

An online presentation and discussion on the May Fourth Movement, the patriotic protests at the end of WW1 and the literary/cultural movement that accompanied it.

Rob Stallard, SACU Vice President and a long-standing member of SACU, has written many articles for China Eye and produces his own series of online histories of China and aspects of Chinese life and culture.

Michael Sheringham has also been a long-standing member of SACU and regularly contributes articles to China Eye.

The introductory talks will be based on the articles in China Eye by Rob Stallard: No. 61 (Spring 2019) and by Michael Sheringham: No. 62, (Summer 2019).

This is s discussion meeting for SACU members only: the Zoom link for registration has been sent out with the January newsletter.

If you have any questions please contact membership@sacu.org.uk

Paper Ambassadors from China: Richard Morel, Curator, British Library's Philatelic Collections
2020-12-05 15:00 - 16:00
Paper Ambassadors from China: The Life & Stamp Designs of Mrs Lu Tianjiao (1954-2001)
A talk for the opening ceremony of SACU-PKU Essay/Art Competition 2020-2021, on 5th December.
Join Dr Frances Wood, SACU Vice President, and hear Richard Morel, Curator, British Library’s Philatelic Collections, talk about the first woman to design stamps in China.
Time: Saturday 5th December, 3.00pm
Please join us at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85889028173?pwd=[REDACTED]

SACU’s Essay/Art Competition
This event launches the 5th year of SACU’s Essay/Art Competition held jointly with Peking University each year since SACU commemorated its 50th anniversary in 2015. The aim of the competition is to help young people learn about the development of friendship and understanding between the UK and China and to consider how this might be further promoted.

“China in the World” talks
This year, in addition to the competition, in order to enhance the younger generation’s understanding of China, we would like to offer talks to the schools under the title of “China in the World”. Members of our Speakers Bureau are all established writers and speakers on China with many years’ experience of living and working in the Chinese world. It is hoped that these talks on China will offer thoughtful and insightful perspectives to the students, who may be interested not only in the competition but in the promotion of UK-China relationships in the future.

Download more information about the Essay/Art Competition here:
Essay competition 2020-2021

Schools/Teachers who wish to participate in the Essay Competition or request a speaker for their school, please contact Mrs. Fang Wang, the coordinator of these two items, for further details, at EssayCompetition@sacu.org.uk

The Early Years of SACU: SACU ChinaChat by Zoom
2020-11-29 15:00 - 16:00
“The Early Years of SACU” with Graham Perry in conversation with SACU Archivist Linxi Li.
Graham Perry has made over 70 visits to China as a businessman, negotiating with China’s trade corporations. He is Visiting Professor of Dispute Resolution at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. An early member of SACU, he has also been an active Vice-Chairman of SACU.
Graham Perry, early SACU member
This is the first talk in the SACU ChinaChat series “Your Stories with China”.
SACU ChinaChats are informal meetings for members only. The Zoom link for member registrations was included in our November eNewsletter.
If any members would like to share with us your story of China, please contact our Archivist Linxi Li archives@sacu.org.uk
Any questions about the event please email membership@sacu.org.uk

SACU & HSBC Joint Event with online talk by Michael Wood, SACU President
2020-11-19 17:30 - 18:30
SACU is delighted to hold a joint event with HSBC China Connect (HCC) when SACU President Michael Wood will present his insights and experiences of China and Chinese life, as well as introducing his new book, The Story of China.

This is a members-only event held on Zoom. The Zoom link and password have recently been sent out in our November eNewsletter. Please email questions to membership@sacu.org.uk

HSBC China Connect (HCC)
Connecting colleagues to Chinese business, culture and language

SACU Council meeting
2020-11-14 11:30 - 13:30
SACU Council meets on Saturday 14th November 11.30am-1.30pm. This is the first Council meeting after our AGM held 10th October 2020. Council will be meeting on Teams – Agenda and links have been sent to Council members.

SACU AGM Saturday 10 October 2020 and afternoon workshops for members
2020-10-10 11:30 - 15:30
11.30 – 13.00 — SACU AGM
14.30 – 15.30 — Join one of SACU’s 3 Working Groups
All SACU members are warmly invited to attend the AGM which will be conducted over Zoom. The day will consist of the Annual General Meeting 2020 in the morning and three working groups sessions in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, instead of a ‘live’ public event as in previous years, we will use Zoom to hold afternoon workshops where members can learn more about SACU and its activities, organised around our three working groups. Members are invited to choose one of the three working groups:

UK Public Education Working Group
Membership Support and Development Working Group
China Connections and Chinese Heritage Working Group

Registration links for the AGM and afternoon workshops have been sent to members by eNewsletter, which also included links to SACU Annual Report and Accounts 2019.
Please consider standing for Council at the AGM and being actively involved in SACU’s work.
If any members have questions, please email membership@sacu.org.uk

SACU Public Event: UK-China Relations: Finding the way forward for cooperation in difficult times
2020-09-01 17:30 - 18:30
Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding
SACU Public Event

US-China relations are deteriorating alarmingly, and the UK government has allowed itself to get drawn into the growing crisis. Yet over recent decades, relations of cooperation between the UK and China have grown firm roots, building interdependencies across many fields, to the great benefit of both sides.
SACU has invited a panel of speakers with differing areas of expertise, but all with long-standing experience of working with Chinese counterparts, to discuss their experiences and their views on the value, the challenges and the benefits of cooperating with China, as well as the prospects, in these problematic times, for their continuing cooperation into the future.

We are delighted that Dr. Ruby Wang, Michael Wood, Graham Perry and Kerry Brown will speak and share their experiences and views on Cooperation.

Dr. Ruby Wang is a UK Medical Doctor working on the NHS frontline. Incoming China Head of Programme Delivery for Health and Life Sciences for the FCO at the British Embassy in Beijing.

Graham Perry has made 70+ China visits as a businessman at the Guangzhou Trade Fairs, negotiating with China’s Trade Corporations. Visiting Professor of Dispute Resolution at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He has also been an active Vice-Chairman of SACU.

Professor Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. From 1998 to 2005 he worked at the FCO and as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing. He is the author of almost 20 books on modern Chinese politics.

Professor Michael Wood is currently Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester. Since 2013 he has made a dozen visits to China making films, chiefly for the six-part Story of China. His new book, The Story of China, is due for publication in September 2020. Michael is SACU’s President.

We will hear from our Panel about Cooperation between China and UK in the fields of science and medicine; film making; business and academic spheres and will get an opportunity to question our Panel via the Q&A function in Zoom.

Please join us!
Zoom event: Registration required on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/116385001673
The Zoom meeting details will be provided to people who have registered via Eventbrite.
Zoë Reed
Chair SACU
www.sacu.org.uk

英中了解协会
SACU公开活动

英中关系–如何在困难时期寻求合作之路
当前，中美关系令人担忧，英国政府也使自己卷入了这场日益严重的危机。回顾近几十年来的中英关系，合作根基牢固，各个领域相互依存，互惠互利。

英中了解协会邀请了来自不同领域、并与中国同行业者有着长期合作经验的专家，通过他们的经验与专业知识，与我们一起探讨与中国合作共赢的价值理念、挑战以及益处。同时，在此困难时期，一起展望与中国保持继续合作的前景与未来！

我们非常荣幸邀请到Ruby Wang医生; Michael Wood教授; Graham Perry和Kerry Brown教授作为与会嘉宾与我们分享他们对英中合作的经验和观点。

Dr. Ruby Wang，NHS一线工作医生，英国驻北京大使馆新任外交部卫生和生命科学项目执行主任。

Graham Perry，北京对外经济贸易大学争议解决客座教授，英中了解协会副主席。作为经商人士到访中国70余次，多次参与广交会以及中国公司的贸易谈判。

Professor Kerry Brown，伦敦大学国王学院中国研究所所长，中国研究教授。1998年至2005年，在英国外交部工作，任英国驻北京大使馆担任一等秘书。已出版近20本关于现代中国政治研究的著作。

Professor Michael Wood，英国曼彻斯特大学公共历史学教授，英中了解协会主席。自2013年以来，他多次前往中国拍摄电影、纪录片，致力于讲述中国故事，最近一部在英国广播电视台BBC播出的《杜甫》引发广泛关注和赞赏。他的新书《中国的故事》将于2020年9月出版。

本次活动中，我们将积极听取各位专家在科学、医学、电影制作以及学术文化等各个领域的中英合作的经验, 并欢迎各位参与者通过Zoom答疑功能进行提问。

欢迎大家参与活动！
活动详情：
2020年9月1日，星期二
17:30-19:00
Zoom会议

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/116385001673
请使用Eventbrite注册以获得会议加入链接。
Zoë Reed
Chair SACU
www.sacu.org.uk

SACU ChinaChat: Discussion on Hong Kong
2020-08-23 15:00 - 16:30
SACU Members are invited to join this SACU ChinaChat on Hong Kong on Sunday 23 August at 3.00pm.
The discussion will be led by SACU members Andrew Hicks and Barnaby Powell on Zoom.
Andrew Hicks has lived in Chinese-influenced communities in Asia for over twenty years, first lecturing at the University of Hong Kong from 1976 to 1983. Now based in England, he has returned there and to China many times since then, watching them with great affection and recently concern as tensions build in Hong Kong. From his four decades of observation he will offer some broad subjective thoughts and insights of a kind that are rarely found in a formally-researched analysis.
Barnaby Powell has been involved in private sector development in the Chinese world for over 40 years, living in Asia for 20 of these. He has been a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, both professionally and to see his daughter while she lived there.

SACU ChinaChats are intended as informal, member-only spaces where members can share different views and perspectives. The format enables our members of Chinese and British backgrounds to share their differing experiences and ideas. A consensus of views is not expected or sought. SACU ChinaChats offer an opportunity for members to exchange their views in a relaxed setting to help participants gain insights and reach a more informed understanding of the topic under discussion.
This event is for SACU members only.
A separate email will be sent to members to register on Zoom for this discussion.
Any questions, please email membership@sacu.org.uk

SACU Council meeting
2020-08-15 11:30 - 13:30
SACU Council meeting takes place by MS Teams. A calendar invitation will be sent to SACU Council members.
Minutes of the last SACU Council meeting and Agenda for this meeting will both be available on Teams.
2.30pm: The main Council meeting will be followed by a planning meeting of the Public Education Working Group.

SACU ChinaChat: Discussing the Opium Wars
2020-06-25 18:00 - 19:30
SACU Members are invited to join this SACU ChinaChat on Thursday 25 June 2020 at 6.00pm by Zoom
SACU Members ChinaChat: Discussing the Opium Wars
Dr Jenny Clegg, SACU Vice President, will share her thoughts based on Stephen Platt’s Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China’s Last Golden Age (2018).
This is a chance for us as SACU members to meet together and share our ideas and thoughts.
Please be sure to use the Updated Link to the meeting – it has been emailed to all members
[the original one included in our earlier newsletter on 16th June will not work]
With the first salvos of the first Opium War in 1839, Britain opened China to a ‘century of humiliation’. Stephen Platt, an American historian, sets out both the British and the Chinese sides as events moved inexorably to war. This potent turning point in China’s history ‘stands for everything that today’s China seeks to put behind it’, giving Platt’s narrative ‘important implications for today’s uncertain and ever-changing world’.
To launch SACU ChinaChats into the virtual dimension, Jenny will share her thoughts and impressions of the book with a view to stimulating discussion on this defining moment in Anglo-Chinese history, and to enabling the sharing of views between our British and Chinese members in an informal and relaxed setting.
This free event is for SACU members only.
Zoom codes have been sent to SACU members. [Please use the Updated Link sent by email to members on Monday 22 June 2020 [the one included in our earlier email won’t work].

SACU/Peking University Essay/Multimedia Awards Ceremony Online
2020-06-17 15:00 - 15:30
SACU/Peking University Friendship and Understanding Essay/Multimedia Awards Ceremony takes place online. SACU members have worked with schools to encourage young people in the UK to explore and engage with Anglo-Chinese friendship and understanding.
Professor Sun Hua will join from Beijing. SACU Vice President Frances Wood is chair of the judging panel and will be announcing the winning entries.
SACU is grateful to Peking University in sponsoring this competition

Three Years in Wuhan - 3 documentary films by Wenlan Peng
2020-05-23 03:30 - 2020-06-12 19:30
A series of documentary shorts on two small and medium sized businesses in Wuhan and how they confront challenges throughout a three-year period, including the recent lockdown, are being shown on BBC World News and BBC News Channel. They were made by Wenlan Peng, film maker and former Chair of The Meridian Society.

Click here for BBC iPlayer link with more about the documentaries and transmission times.

Below are the dates and times worldwide of Episode 1, which starts Saturday 23 May 2020; episodes 2 and 3 will be shown at the same times and on the same days of the week but one and two weeks later.

Title: Three Years in Wuhan – Episode One

Transmission times in GMT for World News:
SAT 23/05 02:30
SUN 24/05 09:30, 21:30
WED 27/05 11:30
THURS 28/05 13:30
FRI 29/05 05:30, 16:30

BBC NEWS CHANNEL transmission times in BST:
SAT 23/05 18:30
SUN 24/05 19:30
MON 25/05 10:30
TUES 26/05 01:30
Photo source: BBC

Art Saves Us: Art, Music and Poetry Global Online Performance 5 - Supported by SACU
2020-05-01 19:30 - 20:30
5th Event In This New On-Line ‘Art, Music & Poetry Hour’
The Young Musicians’ Benefit Hour
Supported by Renowned Cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber
Friday 1st May 2020 at 7:30pm UK time on Zoom
Concert will mix video performances and artist interviews

This concert will be featuring performances from talented young musicians: Shutian Cheng, Yang Lu, Taejas Venkataraman, Shang-En Pai, Thomas Luke, and Lauren Zhang.⁠ There will be interviews with the young talents conducted by Annabelle Lucas, a St Paul”s Girls School graduate who is now attending Pomona College in the US.
Launched to support the incredible work carried out by NHS staff in these challenging times and supported by cellist and Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, @julian_lloyd_webber, ART SAVES US seeks to use the universal language of art and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity, and to console those in isolation, especially the elderly and the vulnerable.⁠
‘Art Saves Us’ was founded by Shanghai-born, London-based Kailan Lucas, a US lawyer. Her creative focus is on Sino-European cultural exchanges in the worlds of art, literature and music, having founded and curated the First Shanghai International Poetry Festival. ‘Art Saves Us’ is proud to count leading figures from the arts as its main supporters, including Nobel Literary Prize Nominee, the poet Adonis; cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber; former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion; architect Patrik Schumacher, Head of Zaha Hadid Architects practice and leading contemporary Chinese artist, Xu Bing from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Ms Kailan Lucas noted: “Art Saves Us is pleased to have young musicians coming to the forefront to show support for the frontline workers. Through their action, we hope to see a positive influence on the younger generation at this unusual and difficult time. We will continue to use the universal language of the arts and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity”.
Further events are planned as the current health crisis unfolds.

Event access will be a nominal £5 registration fee on Eventbrite page:
https://tinyurl.com/y8yd7wob
For more information and to make a contribution to ART SAVES US: https://artsavesus.com/

Art Saves Us: Art, Music and Poetry Global Online Performance 4 - Supported by SACU
2020-04-24 15:00 - 16:00
ART SAVES US is inviting you to the fourth ‘Art, Music and Poetry’ Concert Hour.
In the light of COVID-19’s rapid spread, the ART SAVES US benefit concert and art auction, originally scheduled for the end of March, has moved online. Art transcends borders, unites people regardless of race, religion or nationality. Art is a solace to many, particularly in difficult times. ART SAVES US seeks to use the universal language of art and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity, and to console those in isolation, especially the elderly and the vulnerable. Let art meet charity.
3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th April
London Time: 3pm; Beijing Time 10pm
US East Coast 10am; US West Coast 7am
Viewing Platform: Zoom
Ticket Information: £1 (for access to Zoom)
Register
£25/£50/£100/£250/Unlimited Donations
Donate
ART SAVES US invites musicians, artists, writers and poets from around the world to perform for our series of online concerts. During each concert, 6 artists will present a variety of performances: these include vocals, piano and violin excerpts, poetry recitation, fashion performance video, dance and ballet and finally interviews with the artists themselves… A multisensory feast!
An introductory performance programme and follow-up information on the participating artists of each concert will be announced and updated on the ART SAVES US WeChat platform, website and social media. All donations raised by the benefit concert will be used to support the UK National Health Service (NHS) and other medical organizations indeed in the midst of the epidemic.
24th April 2020
“As long as the global epidemic exists, ART SAVES US will continue to support those affected through our online benefit concerts. We welcome artists, musicians, writers and performers to join us from all over the world – let’s walk together in the spirit of charity!”
www.artsavesus.com

Art Saves Us: Art, Music and Poetry Global Online Performance 3 - Supported by SACU
2020-04-17 15:00 - 16:00
ART SAVES US is inviting you to the third ‘Art, Music and Poetry’ Concert Hour.
In the light of COVID-19’s rapid spread, the ART SAVES US benefit concert and art auction, originally scheduled for the end of March, has moved online. Art transcends borders, unites people regardless of race, religion or nationality. Art is a solace to many, particularly in difficult times. ART SAVES US seeks to use the universal language of art and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity, and to console those in isolation, especially the elderly and the vulnerable. Let art meet charity.
3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th April
London Time: 3pm; Beijing Time 10pm
US East Coast 10am; US West Coast 7am
Viewing Platform: Zoom
Ticket Information: £1 (for access to Zoom)
Register
£25/£50/£100/£250/Unlimited Donations
Donate
ART SAVES US invites musicians, artists, writers and poets from around the world to perform for our series of online concerts. During each concert, 6 artists will present a variety of performances: these include vocals, piano and violin excerpts, poetry recitation, fashion performance video, dance and ballet and finally interviews with the artists themselves… A multisensory feast!
An introductory performance programme and follow-up information on the participating artists of each concert will be announced and updated on the ART SAVES US WeChat platform, website and social media. All donations raised by the benefit concert will be used to support the UK National Health Service (NHS) and other medical organizations indeed in the midst of the epidemic.
17th April 2020
National Ballet of China, Adonis
TANG Feng, Marco Nereo Rotelli, Tamara Luckhurst
“As long as the global epidemic exists, ART SAVES US will continue to support those affected through our online benefit concerts. We welcome artists, musicians, writers and performers to join us from all over the world – let’s walk together in the spirit of charity!”
www.artsavesus.com

Art, Music and Poetry: Global Online Performance 2 - Supported by SACU
2020-04-10 15:00 - 16:00
ART SAVES US is inviting you to the second ‘Art, Music and Poetry’ Concert Hour.
In the light of COVID-19’s rapid spread, the ART SAVES US benefit concert and art auction, originally scheduled for the end of March, is now moving online. Art transcends borders, unites people regardless of race, religion or nationality. Art is a solace to many, particularly in difficult times. ART SAVES US seeks to use the universal language of art and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity, and to console those in isolation, especially the elderly and the vulnerable. Let art meet charity.
3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th April
London Time: 3pm; Beijing Time 10pm
US East Coast 10am; US West Coast 7am

Viewing Platform: Zoom
Ticket Information: £1 (for access to Zoom)
Register
£25/£50/£100/£250/Unlimited Donations
Donate

ART SAVES US invites musicians, artists, writers and poets from around the world to perform for our series of online concerts. During each concert, 6 artists will present a variety of performances: these include vocals, piano and violin excerpts, poetry recitation, fashion performance video, dance and ballet and finally interviews with the artists themselves… A multisensory feast!
An introductory performance programme and follow-up information on the participating artists of each concert will be announced and updated on the ART SAVES US WeChat platform, website and social media. All donations raised by the benefit concert will be used to support the UK National Health Service (NHS) and other medical organizations indeed in the midst of the epidemic.
April 10th 2020
Ivan Ilić, David Harsent, Jiaxin Lloyd Webber
Zhang Jun, Chris Orr, Yao Hong

“As long as the global epidemic exists, ART SAVES US will continue to support those affected through our online benefit concerts. We welcome artists, musicians, writers and performers to join us from all over the world – let’s walk together in the spirit of charity!”
www.artsavesus.com

Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet - New Film by Michael Wood, SACU President
2020-04-06 21:00 - 22:00
We are delighted to announce that SACU President Michael Wood presents his new film ‘Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet’ on BBC FOUR on Monday 6th April at 9.00pm and iPlayer (Film repeated Tuesday 7th April on BBC FOUR at 2.45am)
Michael Wood and Sir Ian McKellen conjure up the life, times and words of Du Fu, one of the world’s greatest poets.
‘There’s Dante, there’s Shakespeare and there’s Du Fu’ Prof Stephen Owen – Harvard
BBC listing with film clips: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h3dq

Art Saves Us: Art, Music and Poetry Global Online Performances, promoted by SACU
2020-04-03 15:00 - 16:00
‘Art Saves Us’ Concert Hour – New online concert series in support of NHS workers.
A Salute to NHS Frontline workers – This first concert takes place on Friday 3rd April, with more scheduled for the following Fridays, 10th, 17th and 24th April 2020 at 3.00pm London time (10.00pm Beijing time).

Viewing platform: Zoom

In the light of COVID-19’s rapid spread, the ‘Art Saves Us’ benefit concert and art auction, originally scheduled for the end of March, is now moving online. Art transcends borders, unites people regardless of race, religion or nationality. Art is a solace for many, particularly in difficult times. ‘Art Saves Us’ seeks to use the universal language of art and charity to strengthen the sense of unity and humanity, and to console those in isolation, especially the elderly and the vulnerable.

‘Let art meet charity’ www.artsavesus.com

Curated by Artistic Director, Julian Lloyd Webber, renowned cellist and Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The line-up for the first concert includes English violinist, Andrew Bernardi from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance; leading Chinese violinist, Chai Liang from the Central Conservatory of Music, China; archive performance footage featuring Julian Lloyd Webber; reading by Sir Andrew Motion; He Wu, a young Chinese opera singer affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music, China, and Chinese artist and fashion designer, Xu Rui, Head of the Fashion Department of the China Central Academy of fine Arts.

Ticket Information: £1 for access to Zoom
Registration on Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ziNjmaMPS7qSGA2RjSTsyQ
£10/£20/£50/Unlimited Donations can be made on www.artsavesus.com

‘Art Saves Us’ was founded by Shanghai-born, London-based Kailan Lucas, a US lawyer and current Senior Advisor-Global Services for JAMS, an American alternative dispute resolution firm. Her creative focus is on Sino-European cultural exchanges in the worlds of art, literature and music, having founded and curated the First Shanghai International Poetry Festival. Leading figures from the arts are supporting ‘Art Saves Us’, including Nobel Literary Prize Nominee, the poet Adonis; cellist, Julian Lloyd Webber; former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion; architect Patrik Schumacher, Head of Zaha Hadid Architects practice and leading contemporary Chinese artist, Xu Bing from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

More info: Art Saves Us Concert 1

SACU Council Meeting
2020-02-29 11:30 - 15:30 | Bush House, King’s College London Strand Campus, 30 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG, United Kingdom
Our next SACU Council meeting is scheduled to take place at Bush House (SE) Room 1.02, King’s College London on Saturday 29th February, 11.30 am – 3.30 pm. The Agenda will be circulated soon.

Manchester SACU Annual Chinese New Year Meal
2020-02-15 14:00 | Pin Wei Restaurant, 28 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 4LB
SACU members and friends are all invited to join us for our annual Chinese New Year meal on Saturday 15 February, from 2.00pm, at the Pin Wei Restaurant, 28 Princess Street, M1 4LB (near the Art Gallery in Manchester city centre). The restaurant has a varied menu with a good selection of vegetarian dishes. (Pin Wei Restaurant was known formerly as Kwok Man until last year.) Pay on the day.
We can repair afterwards to a good coffee lounge nearby.
All welcome!
Please let Walter Fung know if you can join us: Walter.fung888@btinternet.com

The Meridian Society's Chinese New Year Celebration, Sunday 26th January
2020-01-26 14:00 - 20:00
Our partner organisation The Meridian Society has arranged a Chinese New Year Celebration and invites SACU members to join them. Firstly they will be going to BFI Southbank for the film Four Springs which documents the daily life of the director’s family over four Chinese New Years in the remote town of Dushan in the Guizhou province of southwest China. Afterwards they will be going for a Chinese New Year meal at Taste of China in Bloomsbury. The two can be booked separately or together.
Times and venues

2.00 p.m. for 2.20 p.m. at BFI Southbank (website for directions)
5.30 p.m. for 6.00 p.m. at Taste of China (googlemaps for directions)

Places are limited so please email The Meridian Society early to reserve your place. The deadline for booking and payment is Friday 17th January. Priority will be given to current Meridian Society members, supporters who book for both events, then on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

Four Springs (2017) by Lu Qingyi
Four Springs is an award-winning independent documentary made on a tiny budget by first time director Lu Quingyi. Set in a remote rural town this intimate observational film follows the director’s parents as they celebrate New Year over a period of four years. It captures the family’s everyday toils, excursions in nature, visits to friends, reunions and separations.
In 2013 Lu Qingyi with no prior training started to shoot his family on visits home as part of a diary. Unusually for an independent documentary the film attracted attention in China and was released in mainstream Chinese cinema’s where it became a surprise box-office hit
Four Springs is showing as part of the Chinese Visual Festival.

Payment

Members of The Meridian Society
meal £25, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £37 (£35)
Associates (members of SACU and family members of Meridian Society members)
meal £27.50, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £39 (£37)
Non-members
meal £30, film £12.50 (£10.50 concessions*), combined £42 (£40)* concessions for the film are available to seniors, students, unwaged and disabled (evidence required on the day).
Please note: Members of BFI pay lower prices and may prefer to buy their own tickets.Places will be confirmed on receipt of payment. Payment should therefore be made as soon as possible and no later than Friday 17th January.
Please send your cheque made payable to ‘The Meridian Society’ to: The Treasurer, 5 Mildmay Street, London N1 4AB.
Alternatively email The Meridian Society and they will forward their account details if you wish to pay by direct bank transfer.

SACU Council Meeting
2019-12-07 11:30 - 15:30 | Bush House, King’s College London Strand Campus, 30 Aldwych, London, WC2B 4BG, United Kingdom
SACU’s next meeting of the Council of Management is to be held on Saturday 7th December, 11.30am-3.30pm, in Bush House, King’s College London, The Strand, Room (SE) 6.03.

Three Gorges of the Yangtze River
2019-10-29 18:30 - 20:00 | Camden Chinese Community Centre, 9 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SN, United Kingdom
Our partner organisation The Meridian Society is holding this talk with free entry for SACU and The Meridian Society members.

Professor Roger Mason, a member of The Meridian Society, will give a talk on research in the Three Gorges of the Yangtse River, one of the cradles of ancient Chinese culture.

Roger Mason is well known as one of the co-discoverers of a 550 million year old fossilised fern in Leicstershire when a schoolboy. With his interest in rocks aroused he taught and researched geology for 20 years at UCL and then Wuhan University until retiring in 2011. His hobby is translating Chinese poetry into English.

Entry is free for Members of The Meridian Society and SACU, for non-members £5 donation.
Registration: booking is not required but if you plan to attend please email themeridiansociety@gmail.com

China at 70: Looking Back; Looking Ahead
2019-10-16 17:30 - 20:00 | King’s College London, Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
To mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, SACU will hold a panel discussion to reflect on China’s past and future.

1st October 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. To mark this occasion, SACU will hold a panel discussion on October 16th to reflect on China’s past achievements and future challenges.
As a bonus, a special photo exhibition from SACU’s Archives will be shown for the first time!

Date: Wednesday 16 October 2019
Time: 5.30pm to register for 6.00pm start
Venue: Lecture Room S.-3.20, Strand Building, King’s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS

Please note this is a change of venue from Bush House, as originally advertised, and an updated line-up of panel speakers

Speakers: Professor Martin Albrow, Dr Jenny Clegg, Dr Sun Xin and Minister Counsellor Wang Qi;
Chair: Dr Frances Wood

Mr Wang Qi, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
Dr Jenny Clegg, SACU Vice-President, Independent writer and researcher, author, speaker and China specialist ……. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-clegg-79655940/?originalSubdomain=uk
Dr Sun Xin, Lecturer in Chinese and East Asian Business, Lao China Institute at King’s College London https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/xin-sun
SACU member Professor Martin Albrow, the eminent British sociologist, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wales ……http://globaldialogue.isa-sociology.org/the-end-of-the-global-age-an-interview-with-martin-albrow/
Dr Frances Wood, SACU Vice President, former Curator of the British Library’s Chinese collections, historian and author of numerous books about China. Scroll down this page to see Frances’s books: https://sacu.org/books.html

Free
This Panel Discussion is held jointly with Lau China Institute, King’s College London.
It is a FREE event, open to everyone, but registration is required.
Please reserve your place through Eventbrite, here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/china-at-70-looking-back-looking-ahead-tickets-72876297969

SACU is grateful to the Lau China Institute at King’s College London for providing the venue and refreshments.

Do come and join us!

Directions to the Venue: The nearest Underground station is Temple (Circle and District lines).
Venue: Lecture Room S.-3.20, Strand Building, King’s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
Directions: The Lecture Room S.-3.20 is located on the 3rd basement of the Strand Building. When you walk in the main entrance of the building on the Strand, find your name or register at the reception desk on your right, and go down three floors by the lift or stairs just behind the access control. Then walk along the corridor on your left and you will find the Lecture Room S.-3.20 on your left hand side.
We look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday 16th October!

From Old London to New Milton Keynes: Chinese Identities in Britain: SACU Free Talks and Film
2019-07-20 14:00 - 16:30 | St Columba’s Church of Scotland, Pont Street, London, SW1X 0BD, United Kingdom
From Old London to New Milton Keynes: Chinese Identities in Britain; SACU Free Talks and Film

The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) is delighted to invite you to this afternoon of talks and a film, timed to coincide with the Lao She symposium held this year in Beijing to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of novelist and playwright Lao She, one of 20th century China’s most significant literary figures.

Dr Amy Matthewson: Loitering through London with Lao She
SACU member Dr Amy Matthewson talks about her really exciting project in conjunction with the Museum of London Docklands to develop an interactive app based on Lao She and his years in London. The app will work in conjunction with the museum, combining places Lao She mentions in his novel Mr. Ma and Sonalong with visual and material cultures from the Museum’s permanent collection. It will allow visitors to engage with Lao She’s London and the broader issues and experiences of the Chinese community in London.
Amy uses Lao She’s Mr. Ma and Son to frame the history of the Chinese community living and working in London. Her aim is to explore the experiences of the Chinese and probe into areas of race relations and identity politics, the production of social and cultural processes in which community identities are shaped, with the objective of understanding community interactions as well as the formation of a sense of identity, whether in terms of ‘Chineseness’, ‘Britishness’, or a complex mix of both.

Dr Frances Wood, SACU Vice President: A Blue Plaque for the Silent Traveller
Chiang Yee came to London in 1934, escaping from the difficulties of serving as an official in the warlord era in China. He left his family behind, intending to study at LSE. With the Japanese invasion, he found himself unable to return to China and struggled to survive until he found his voice in a long series of books, beginning with The Silent Traveller in Lakeland. His 15 year stay in Oxford was commemorated recently with the unveiling of a Blue Plaque.

Please note: This talk is a change to our original programme. We regret Dr Jenny Clegg cannot now join us for this event. We are delighted that Dr Frances Wood has offered to talk instead about ‘The Silent Traveller’ and we will invite Dr Jenny Clegg to give her talk on ‘Fu Manchu and the Yellow Peril’ at a future event.

Michael Ho: From HK to MK (film)
“What does it mean to be British? Gabriel, a dentist originally from Hong Kong, has lived in Milton Keynes for nearly 50 years. His mixed-race son Michael couldn’t wait to leave. Now a film-maker, he returns to the city to discover how his father feels about the place he has made home.” (British Film Institute)

This afternoon event is held jointly with The Meridian Society (TMS) and follows the AGMs of both SACU and TMS to be held during the morning 11.30am – 1.00pm. All members are invited to their society’s AGM, then join other members for a ‘bring your own lunch’ or just come along to the afternoon presentations.

The afternoon is a free event, open to everyone, but registration is required.
Book your free place: https://sacu-from-old-london.eventbrite.co.uk

Do come and join us!

Directions: Our venue is the Upper Hall at St Columba’s Church, which is located on Pont Street in Knightsbridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The Church is within easy reach of three London Underground stations – Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line), South Kensington (Piccadilly, Circle and District Lines) and Sloane Square (Circle and District Lines).
Any questions? Please email events@sacu.org.uk
We look forward to welcoming you on Saturday 20th July!

SACU AGM
2019-07-20 11:30 - 13:00 | St Columba’s Church of Scotland, Pont Street, London, SW1X 0BD, United Kingdom
SACU’s AGM Saturday takes place in the morning of 20th July 2019 at St Columba’s Church, Pont Street in Knightsbridge:
Schedule for the day:
11.30am – 1.00pm: SACU AGM in the Library
11.30am -1.00pm: The Meridian Society (TMS) AGM in the Kirk Session Room
1.00pm – 2.00pm: Lunch (‘Bring Your Own Lunch’). All members are welcome to take a packed lunch and join the informal meet up with other SACU members at lunchtime.
2.00pm – 4.30pm: Presentations by Dr Amy Matthewson and SACU Vice President Dr Frances Wood followed by refreshments then a short film by Michael Ho.
The afternoon presentations are open to the public and all are welcome, but registration is required:
Book your free place: https://sacu-from-old-london.eventbrite.co.uk
