Culture

A newly revamped British Council programme, “China Now”, stands at the forefront of fostering artistic collaboration between the UK and China, writes Tom Pattinson. After a challenging period for cultural exchange between the two countries, it provides an essential resource for UK arts organisations and artists wanting to work in mainland China. Two decades ago, cultural relations between China and the UK were at an all-time high. At the time, …

On a freezing January afternoon in 1992, Deng Xiaoping, China’s former paramount leader and now a revered elder statesman, set off on a month-long trip around China’s south in defence of the reforms he had set in motion to open up China’s economy and transform the country into the political and economic powerhouse we know today. In The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China’s Future (Bloomsbury Asian …

Every August, book writers and readers gather in Edinburgh for several weekends of author talks, workshops, panel discussions and other events. It’s a busy time of year – the start of Edinburgh International Book Festival coincides with the Edinburgh Fringe and the end with the Film and TV Festival. It makes it a great time to head to the Scottish capital, and for those with a particular focus on China/Asia, …

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, throughout March, FOCUS is spotlighting female business leaders in the UK and China. Here, Robynne Tindall speaks to Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, Founder and Chair of the Women Empowerment Council Since moving to China in 1997, Su Cheng has been actively involved in the Beijing business community. She is currently serving on the Board of AmCham-China and is the Founding Co-Chair of the …

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, FOCUS is spotlighting female business leaders in the UK and China. Here, Robynne Tindall speaks to Joanna Zhou, China Commercial Manager of Holland & Barrett Joanna Zhou has been looking after Holland & Barrett’s business in China – especially its cross-border e-commerce model – for more than three years. Her knowledge of China and expertise in internationalisation have helped to position the leading …

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, FOCUS is spotlighting female business leaders in the UK and China. Here, Robynne Tindall speaks to Dora Zhou, Managing Partner at digital agency BARK Dora Zhou co-founded and spearheaded the transformation of BARK – a digital agency helping international brands reach China via video production, live streaming, content marketing and influencer campaigns – into a formidable force in content creation and marketing for …

Whether you want to learn more about China’s economy, its opaque policy-making apparatus or what the country’s Gen Z youth are talking about, there’s a podcast for it. Here are our pick of the top shows to get into now Staying informed on China can seem like a full-time job. Luckily, a series of excellent podcasts are doing the hard work of China-watching for us, compiling the best information and …

Jeffrey C. Kinkley is professor emeritus of Chinese History at St. John’s University, New York, and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. He is also a biographer (The Odyssey of Shen Congwen) and a translator of Chinese fiction. Kinkley has published several academic books, including Chinese Justice, the Fiction: Law and Literature in Modern China; Corruption and Realism in Late Socialist China: The Return of the Political Novel; and Visions of …

Every month at FOCUS, we look at a different new book on China and talk to the author. From history to economics, business case studies to geo-politics – the successful business person in China needs to grasp all these elements. So this year, we’ve examined books ranging in topic from Xiconomics to local entrepreneurship, Big Tech to China’s changing cities – and even some Christmas food ideas from Fuchsia Dunlop. …

If you’re remotely interested in China, especially Chinese cuisine, it’s been hard to avoid Fuchsia Dunlop’s new book, Invitation to a Banquet (Penguin) recently. It’s also hard to imagine that many CBBC members haven’t got at least one of Fuchsia’s cookbooks on their kitchen shelf. But Invitation to a Banquet is a little different. Rather than recipes, it’s the epic tale of the world’s most sophisticated gastronomic culture, told through …