Opportunities to understand China, Chinese culture and Chinatown

Hidden in Plain View: Wallpapers in Britain & Ireland

How did Chinese wallpaper influence the history of British interiors? National Trust expert Emile de Bruijn explored this topic in detail from Chinese bird and flower designs to landscapes to daily life scenes. This talk focused on how these very traditional images were adapted for the western palate. Symbolism is abundant in Chinese art and […]

Winnie M Li – Translating personal experience into fiction

Winnie M Li, author, activist and film producer took part in our China in Context festival, describing how she translated her personal experience into fiction for her debit novel, Dark Chapter. During this talk, Li was in conversation with BBC Journalist Helier Cheung. Li’s debut novel Dark Chapter is a fictionalised account of her own […]

An evening with Yan Geling 严歌苓

Yan Geling

Yan Geling opens China in Context Festival China in Context opened with celebrated author Yan Geling in conversation with two of her translators, Nicky Harman and Lawrence Walker (who also happens to be Geling’s husband). China Exchange was packed with audience members who wanted to learn more from a woman who has produced best-seller after […]

Hello Baijiu! A tasting and cocktail masterclass

Ganbei (cheers) for the Year of Dog! This year, we welcomed our popular event Hello Baijiu back to China Exchange for the third time. FU of Liverpool, the only dedicated baijiu bar in the UK shared the history and significance of baijiu in China and its influence on the drinks cabinets of the top bars […]

Puppy Love: Dogs as Therapy

Dogs are man’s best friend. To celebrate the Year of Dog, China Exchange welcomed Diane Hardiman, specialist in Animal Assisted Therapy, and volunteers from the charity Pets As Therapy and their therapy dogs to discuss how animals, and especially dogs, are used as therapy to help people in need. Kicked off with Diane’s presentation about […]

Hong Kong Focus at China in Context

Hong Kong Focus

China in Context will feature three events with a special focus on Hong Kong. Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the focus will celebrate the role that Hong Kong has played as a cultural translator and the creativity of writing from this unique region.

China in Context: the UK’s first Chinese writing festival returns to London

China in Context, the UK’s first annual book festival celebrating writers and writing from and about China, is returning to London’s Chinatown for March 2018. Held at China Exchange, the festival will take place over two weeks, with talks from leading writers, hands-on workshops, and cultural experiences.

Welcoming Chinese New Year of the Dog 2018

Join us to celebrate Chinese New Year 2018! Expect celebrations across London as people welcome the Year of the Dog, including a colourful parade in Chinatown, performances in Trafalgar Square, and a packed programme of events at China Exchange to get those tails wagging!

Pure Land Series: An Evening with Dr Nick Strimple

    Pure Land Series welcomed world-renowned composer and conductor Dr Nick Strimple from the University of Southern California. Dr Strimple treated us to a fascinating and incredibly moving insight into the role played by music in the lives of those worst affected by the atrocities of the Holocaust during the Second World War. Dr […]

Belonging in Beijing: LGBTQIA in China

  Dr Trude Sandberg joined us for Belonging in Beijing, an evening focused on her experiences of co-creating Q-space, a centre for the LGBTQIA community in China’s capital. She shared stories that reflected how mainstream Chinese society, which emphasises the importance of heterosexual marriage, meeting family obligation and producing children, and the complexities this creates […]