Scroll down for our Spring newsletter, to learn about our pioneering EwC Scholarship Programme in China, ‘Awaken China curiosity’ Challenge Days, our global Model UN Conference, ‘Global Perspectives’ Summer camps 2024 and upcoming events…
Study A-level on a scholarship in China
Interviews have now been conducted and we will be announcing the next winners of the EwC Scholarship programme for 2024-26 by mid May. This flagship initiative will enable 30 lucky British students to study in China, thanks to our on-going partnership with Wycombe Abbey Schools. Our first cohort of ten girls and boys arrived in August 2023 and are literally having the time of their lives. Not only are they benefiting from a rigorous academic education but also the round-the-clock curriculum enrichment, sporting and music facilities, mandarin learning and cultural trips to some of China’s most exciting destinations.
Dragon bones & warrior Queen delight KS2 in Shang Dynasty Day
We piloted our brand new Shang Dynasty China Challenge Day at St George’s Primary School in Worcestershire and, from the feedback, delighted both pupils and teachers alike.
My daughter didn’t stop talking about primary and secondary sources, archaeological digs and oracle bones all the way home. She even acted out the Shang Dynasty when we played charades that evening! – Y4 Mum
Looking at ancient civilisations, timelines, society and primary and secondary sources this curriculum enrichment day not only is a one-stop shop for any school covering the Shang in the history syllabus but is also brings ancient China alive through this cultural immersion. Hear from pupils, staff and our team here: https://youtu.be/r2gB1J-xeH4
‘Awaken China Curiosity’ campaign reaches hundreds of pupils
Thanks to the generosity of a national funder, Engage with China has started delivering our signature China Challenge Days into another ten state-maintained schools around the country. More than 450 pupils in Bristol and Worcestershire have so far enjoyed learning about China through these curriculum enrichment days bringing culture right into the heart of the classroom. From its ancient past – (including the impressive building works of the Great Wall to the Warrior Queen Fuhao in the Shang Dynasty) – to tea tastings, the discovery of porcelain and calligraphy, pupils have been inspired about China’s history, geography, language, maritime trade, technological innovation and culture.
Theresa from Engage with China was really super! her knowledge about China really engaged our pupils. They want a China day every week!
Y4 teacher
Global student climate conference builds consensus
Registration for Good Cop Bad Cop, our annual, online, Model UN Conference, is now open. Details below. Ensure the participation of your school for 28 February 2025 by registering here or download the form.
Chinese New Year event wows crowd
More than 1,400 visitors attended the recent CNY celebrations in the heart of Worcester in the West Midlands and enjoyed a wide range of activities at the Museum of Royal Worcester and the Royal Porcelain Works. Visitors were delighted by the dragon dance, arts and crafts, pottery painting, calligraphy, tea ceremony and more Read more…
Earlier this year, at our third annual conference, more than 200 pupils from twenty-three schools and from four continents joined us on Friday 02 February 2024. Using their best negotiation skills, pupils debated and negotiated on the resolutions from COP28 as well as on single-use plastics, fast fashion and food waste.
This student-led event was the third organised by Engage with China, a UK registered educational charity which works in UK schools to build China understanding amongst young people. One of its directors, Theresa Booth, said,
By representing another country at the conference students experienced a flavour of what real global negotiations are like and appreciated that respect and good listening skills are essential if consensus is to be achieved.”
Chinese New Year event attracts record crowds in Worcester
Engage with China was proud to be a partner again in the Worcester Chinese New Year celebrations on Sunday 18 February 2024 attracting more than 1,400 visitors. Read more:
Learn more about our 2024 initiatives by reading our Spring Newsletter below!
Global Perspectives Summer Camp 2024
We are proud to be the UK partner for a culturally rich ‘Global Perspectives’ summer camp at Wycombe Abbey School Changzhou in 2024. Open to young pupils aged 8-17, this 12 day programme will open young minds to China, its innovations and modern tech, its cultural traditions, the mandarin language and local tourist sites. Special discount via EwC. Read more and book here
BREAKING BOUNDARIES: UK Scholars win Scholarship to do A-levels in China
Six British pupils, aged just 16, discovered the good news on 03 August that they are to become the first Engage with China Scholars to embark on a fully-funded A-level programme in September, thanks to a new collaboration with Wycombe Abbey School in Changzhou (WASC), China. An additional four scholars are being given a part-funded scholarship.
The idea of the Engage with China Scholars programme was conceived as recently as 27 June. H-J Colston-Inge, Director of EwC, said,
In the wake of a successful charity fundraising dinner we were approached by William Vanbergen, Founder of BE Education and a partner in Wycombe Abbey International Schools in China. We recognised that our organisations shared a vision to build a vital bridge between China and the UK through education and we wanted to give some British teenagers the chance not only to discover China for themselves but also to equip them to become cross-cultural leaders of the future. We are so delighted with the response to the scholarship offer and the number of high calibre applications that we received. The scholarship was originally for only six students, but thanks to the generosity of WASC the pilot cohort will include ten ambitious, intellectually curious, globally-minded young people. This will certainly change their lives and job prospects, giving them a huge springboard for their futures
H-J Colston-Inge made contact with the Scholars yesterday to let them know the good news by phone. On hearing that she was one of the lucky ones, Calista Ajibola from Mayfield Grammar School in Kent, said,
“Everyone’s thinking I’m crazy – I’ve got a huge smile on my face! My school will be just so blown away… they won’t believe it!”
Calista Ajibola, from Mayfield Grammar School, Kent
One question that all students were asked during the interview was what they thought was the biggest challenge facing the world in 2023 and how they might play a role in solving it. “Many responded that bias and poor communication was the key to many problems,” said H-J. “We were pleased to hear that all potential scholars felt that they would have a role after their A-level scholarship to share their learnings and to encourage young people to discover more about China and perhaps to apply for the scholarship programme in the future.”
William Vanbergen of WASC said that,
The collaboration between Wycombe Abbey School and Engage with China will provide numerous benefits for students and the wider community including cultural exchange resulting in enhanced tolerance and appreciation; educational excellence; language acquisition through immersion in a bilingual learning environment; networking opportunities that may prove beneficial in their future careers and building business and trade prospects. In addition, we prize global citizenship by fostering a sense of responsibility towards addressing global challenges. This programme will contribute to the development of future leaders who can make a positive impact on a global scale.
The scholars have been selected from a variety of schools from all over the country. Two of the scholars have never studied mandarin whilst others have completed their GCSE in mandarin through a government-funded Mandarin for Excellence Programme offered at their schools. On hearing the news, Katharine Carruthers, the Mandarin Excellence Programme Strategic Director, said,
I am delighted that these Mandarin Excellence Programme students have successfully applied to study A-levels at Wycombe Abbey School in Changzhou. The students have studied for 5 years in an MEP school, learning Mandarin for 8 hours per week, so this will have given them an excellent foundation to take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity. I am really looking forward to hearing about their progress over the next two years as they continue on their journey to fluency in Mandarin.
There will undoubtedly be culture shock for all of the students on a number of levels as they take up residence in the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu Province. The city has a population of 5 million people and none of the EwC Scholars have attended boarding school before.
Another Scholar, Kat Pike from St George’s School comprehensive school in Harpenden, has never studied Chinese.
No one has had an opportunity like this before from my school and my headteacher was really surprised when we asked for a reference. This is quite a shock! It will life-changing for me!”
Kat’s mother, Maggie, added, “I am so proud of Kat. We are still recovering from the wonderful shock of yesterday’s news!”
Stephen Phillips OBE who until recently was Director General of Invest HK (Hong Kong) and was also former CEO of the China-Britain Business Council is very supportive of the Scholarship programme. “If I had my time again, I would be on that aeroplane tomorrow. This is a fantastic opportunity and a way for the next generation to understand China in an immersive way. They will undoubtedly learn some vital cross-cultural skills that can used in their working life in the future.”
The next four weeks will be busy for the students and their families as they prepare for the start of term on 01 September. EwC will deliver a pre-departure cultural workshop to help the scholars to prepare for their life in China. It will also be an opportunity for the pupils to get to know each other before they meet at the airport ready to fly to a new life in China.
We look forward to following their journey over the next two years!
If you plan for a lifetime, educate people
On 21 November 2023 one hundred people from the British and Chinese communities met in London for a fundraising event for educational charity, Engage with China. The evening included the showing of a film about China’s national parks called “China: Nature’s Ancient Kingdom 《中国：大自然的古老王国》.”
Quoting Confucius, Director of the charity, H-J Colston-Inge, said,
“If you plan for a year, sow rice. If you plan for a decade, plant a tree. If you plan for a lifetime, educate people. 一年之计，莫如树谷；十年之计，莫如树木； 百年之计，莫如树人。It is our mission to educate a generation of young people so that they can flourish in their lifetimes in a world that is politically unsettled and where the ground beneath their very feet is in crisis. By building cross-cultural connections, understanding and friendships through the lens of China, we believe there is hope for a more peaceful world where young people are more open to engagement, globally aware and empathetic.”
Representatives from the Chinese Embassy also attended the event and Minister Wang Qi, gave a speech in which he said,
“Mountains and rivers are valuable assets. China is committed to biodiversity conservation and the creation of nature reserve systems, zones and parks. The Giant Panda has been upgraded from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ so this is good news…. The work of Chopsticks Club and Engage with China in helping British youth understand China is also very important.”
According to the film producers, Lucinda Axelsson and Sun Shuyun, who spoke at the event to introduce the film and engage in a Q&A session, 10.3% of China’s landmass is now national park with the attainment criteria for such designation set incredibly high. The film series was a BBC / CCTV collaboration. The producers were clearly awe-inspired by the biodiversity and landscapes they had encountered. “This was a true and creative collaboration between China and the UK with mutual learnings on both sides. It was really positive to see what we can learn about the Chinese, their perspective, their way of telling stories and we have created something really special together,” said Ms Axelsson. The film’s narrator is Oscar-nominated actress, Vanessa Kirby and has been shown in over 120 countries. Attendees were enthralled by the sheer diversity and beauty of China’s unique eco-system and breath-taking landscapes as they watched the film highlights including the stunning landscapes where the snub-nosed golden monkeys and pandas are found.
Asked why she wanted to be involved with the EwC event, Ms Sun said,
“I have been co-producing high end documentaries between Chinese and international broadcasters for decades. China and the world need to engage with each other more than ever, and climate change and environmental protection is one of the key areas of collaboration. Engaging with China is what the founders of Chopsticks Club and EwC have been doing steadily for so long and engaging through children and young people is really crucial as they are the future.”
The event was hosted by law firm, Wedlake Bell LLP, at their City of London premises and was attended by senior representatives from business, education, the Chinese Embassy in London and members of Parliament. Managing Partner at Wedlake Bell, Martin Arnold, said,
“Wedlake Bell was delighted to support an event like this that brings people together, builds bridges and broadens knowledge about China. ‘China: Nature’s Ancient Kingdom’ is a stunning film series about China’s national park system and the biodiversity there. Engage with China charity is doing very positive and practical work in schools in the UK which will give young people they work with a foundation of cultural literacy about China that will help them in the future.”
The event was also an occasion to celebrate the 30th birthday of Chopsticks Club, a China-UK professionals’ network, also founded by the Directors of Engage with China. “Since 1993,” added Ms Colston-Inge, “Theresa Booth and I have been building China competencies from the boardroom to the classroom. The need now has never been greater.”
Engage with China relies on donations for its vital work building China literacy in UK school. Please donate here via the link if you can to support us. [Note: JustGiving try to charge a large fee on top of your donation but you can reduce this at checkout]. If you are a UK taxpayer, please enable us to claim GiftAid so that we can receive an extra 20% without any additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Dated: 22 November 2023
I was accused of being “a toad who longs to eat swan’s meat”
Stephen Phillips OBE who until recently was Director General of Invest HK (Hong Kong) and was also former CEO of the China-Britain Business Council is very supportive of the Scholarship programme. “If I had my time again, I would be on that aeroplane tomorrow. This is a fantastic opportunity and a way for the next generation to understand China in an immersive way. They will undoubtedly learn some vital cross-cultural skills that can used in their working life in the future.”
The next four weeks will be busy for the students and their families as they prepare for the start of term on 01 September. EwC will deliver a pre-departure cultural workshop to help the scholars to prepare for their life in China. It will also be an opportunity for the pupils to get to know each other before they meet at the airport ready to fly to a new life in China.
We look forward to following their journey over the next two years.
I was accused of being “a toad who longs to eat swan’s meat”
Zhang Lijia’s personal story is nothing but inspiring. From a poor family in Nanjing in eastern China, she was destined to work her whole life in an inter-continental missile rocket factory. Unhappy with this prospect, however, she dreamed of the outside world. She realised in her early teens that her ticket out was to learn English. Ridiculed by her colleagues and with little access to foreigners or English language learning tools, she found a radio station and with diligence and determination, used this as the means to transform her life’s narrative. Now a journalist, writer and social commentator, Lijia has featured on the BBC’s Book of the Week, CNN and other international media stations. Her novel, ‘Lotus,’ has been translated into several languages and her memoir, ‘Socialism is Great!’ gives an excellent account of what China was like in the ‘iron rice bowl’ times before its economic transformation of recent times.
Lijia exhorts us to dream big and suggests that by learning about China, we will not only benefit from thinking more globally, but we might even find our lives can be changed for the better. Discover more of her story here.
Sir Vince Cable becomes new patron of Engage with China
EwC is delighted to confirm the appointment of the Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Minister of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, as a patron. Sir Vince’s views chime with our charity’s belief that it is crucial to generate curiosity about and dialogue with China rather than retreat or ignore. China is rich with ideas and subject matter that will benefit young minds and develop character skills relevant to our times.
“Now that China has become an economic and technological superpower some are reacting with fear or hostility. It is better to engage. Large numbers of students, visitors and businesses already do – in both directions. That was the approach I adopted as a government minister in my dealings with China and I want it to continue.”
The Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable, author of ‘China Engage: Avoiding the new Cold War’ (2019)
Sir Vince joins Sir Anthony Seldon, educator and former Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University and Head of Wellington College, as patron.
Chinese schools are back to normal -despite Covid.
These happy students tell us how good that feels and how they are keeping safe
Follow Our News
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Engage with China 