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  • Durham student internships reap China-UK educational benefits

    Two Durham University students have just completed a 10-week internship programme with Engage with China, an independent educational charity, thanks to a philanthropic gift from an alumnus in Chinese Studies also from Durham.

    Olivia Farr, currently in her 3rd year studying Chinese, should have been in China for her year abroad and Riley Lin, a postgraduate student studying marketing at the Business School, is from Xiamen in Eastern China. For obvious Covid reasons, this academic year for both of them has been contrary to expectations; for Riley this meant that she had only online lessons and Olivia has been based at home and never made it to China for her year abroad.

    However, an opportunity to become interns with Engage with China, an independent educational charity building China literacy in schools, was exciting for two successful candidates. The roles included social media development, research and event planning and enabled the students to develop new skills and work experience in these most unusual times. Asked why she wanted to work for the charity and how it benefited her, Ms Farr said; 

    Engage with China is filling a crucial gap in the curriculum and helping children to reach bright futures that will undoubtedly be impacted by their understanding of Chinese language and culture. It is about time the UK education system caught up and helped children to develop their global outlook, as such Engage with China is stepping up. During my internship with Engage with China I was given the opportunity to gain new skills and communicate in ways that were not previously available to me. It has given me the confidence to experiment with new social media platforms and converse with people in multiple languages in a business setting, whilst allowing me to constantly expand my knowledge.

    Olivia Farr, Undergraduate in Chinese Studies
    Weekly team meetings were held via Zoom

    Speaking about the work of the charity, Director Ms H-J Colston said, 

    “Through our curriculum enrichment programmes and resources we aim to add breadth to the curriculum, to challenge perspectives and to open eyes to modern China, its development and its impact. We are a small charity and having two bright students working with us who have an interest in and knowledge of China, has boosted our output exponentially. Thanks to the vision of a generous donor who, like us, believes in nurturing opportunities for young people with mandarin and China-related skills, we were able to provide an opportunity to work cross-culturally and to converse in both mandarin and English to develop their language skills, too. Despite having to work remotely and to meet only online, we are so grateful to the students for their ideas and what they have achieved in a short space of time.”

    This internship gave me a better understanding of how foreign media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) is run. The internship also allowed me to practice speaking English,” said Ms Lin. “The team is very friendly and empowers the interns to express ideas and thoughts, making it a great internship experience.

    Riley Lin, postgraduate student

    Engage with China is currently looking for volunteers with teaching experience to help with developing more resources as it enters the next phase of growth. Please contact us if interested.

  • EwC fills a curriculum knowledge gap

    Engage with China delivers curriculum enrichment programmes to build China literacy, global outlook and critical thinking skills in schools. EwC Director, ‘H-J’ Colston, remembers that two pages of her history A-level book, which referenced the Opium Wars in the 19th century, were the only reference to China of her whole school academic life. It appears that not much has changed in several decades with no more emphasis being placed on China knowledge despite the fact that the world has changed and that, through globalisation, China has been one of the main winners.

    In this video, intellectually curious student, Freya, talks about her drive to understand more about China and her belief that China will have much more of an impact on her life than the US.

    I knew China was a communist country, which intrigued me, but it always felt very foreign… my education didn’t teach me a lot about China

    Freya, aged 16, former pupil at Hayesfield School

    EwC is an independent educational charity delivering off-timetable curriculum enrichment programmes – or Challenge Days – in primary and secondary schools. The programmes are ideal to benefit a whole year cohort and not just learners of mandarin, for example, as content and activities are age and key-stage appropriate and cover themes such as innovation, Silk Roads, climate change, society, geography and history.

    In light of the pandemic and the restriction on field trips and excursions, EwC Challenge Days are an excellent way to experience something of China. Knowledge is power and discovering insights into the world’s second largest economy is so relevant today. Pupils really engage with learning about China’s modern context and culture and are encouraged to think more globally.

    Theresa Booth, Director – Engage with China

    This video also includes pupils from Pangbourne College. They capture the fun of language learning from scratch by showing off their new-found mandarin skills as well as recall some of their learnings from the Challenge Day.

    EwC has delivered programmes to thousands of primary and secondary school pupils across the UK in both the independent and state sectors. To find out more and to invite us to up-skill your pupils, please contact us today via https://engagewithchina.org/contact/

  • Sir Vince Cable supports China- related education

    Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable, Patron, EwC

    Engage with China confirms 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 of the independent educational charity.

    “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,” said Sir Vince 

    Echoing his comments, Director H-J Colston said, “We are delighted that Sir Vince has accepted our invitation to be one of our patrons. His views chime with our belief that it is crucial to generate curiosity about and dialogue with China rather than to retreat or ignore. China is rich with ideas and subject matter that will benefit young minds and develop character skills relevant to our times.”

    Sir Vince’s book, ‘China Engage – avoiding the new Cold War,’ (published 2019) is “precise, forensic and clear as he brings to the debate about China realism and facts.” It invites readers to consider whether the deterioration of China-western relations is a crucial issue for the future or simply a passing phase, caused by Coronavirus and leadership personalities. 

    Sir Vince was a key speaker at a successful webinar run by Engage with China and its partner organisation, Chopsticks Club. Themes included looking at the importance of increased access to China knowledge in education based on geo-political and economic developments.

    Sir Vince joins Sir Anthony Seldon, educator and former Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University and Head of Wellington College, as patron.

  • #Backtoschool – what China did

    It is some months ago now since Chinese schools reopened. Rather than a blanket, country-wide easing of lockdown, however, re-opening began with a deliberate focus on cities and areas that were classified as ‘low risk.’ In such cases, all age groups were able to go back to school, from kindergarten to senior school. Full virus testing operations were put in place including temperature checks and health passports. As one Mum told us,

    “it is the mandatory travel reporting and temperature testing entering every building that have kept a stranglehold on the virus”

    and enabled 1.4 billion people the chance to return to life pretty much as normal.

    During the online homeschooling phase, which varied from place to place but lasted in the southern city of Guangzhou, for example, from end January 2020 to 01 June, pupils had to wear school uniform and sing the national anthem every day, even at home. The school timetable remained as full-on as ever with regular academic testing. We interviewed one family whose 14 year old daughter was still doing PE following a video made by her teacher, cooking as part of her homework and also learning about the coronavirus.

    Despite an extended period of home schooling, a relatively normal life outside school resumed with restaurants and shopping malls open. The public was simply required to have a temperature check when entering a building and wear a mask for the protection of others.

    Of course students and parents have, like us here in the UK, experienced delayed exams, class closures and online learning. When schools were reopened, kindergarten and older children were dropped off at the school gates and parents were no longer allowed to accompany children inside. Staggered start and end times as well as social distancing helped to reduce additional risk.

    Initially when kindergartens reopened, children had to eat alone but subsequently glass or perspex separator boards were placed on the tables between children. In boarding schools, beds were added and separated 2 metres apart, to enable social distancing during the daily, designated nap time – (yup! that even includes senior school students) – and mixed class activities were reduced.

    The overwhelming feeling of being back at school is the happiness of being together amongst friends. It is what our education specialists and SLTs will also say. To be able to “hang out and chat with my friends, to laugh together and to do sport,” said Jia Lu, aged 14, are the things that, like for most children everywhere, enhance the joy of the shared learning experience and improve wellbeing.

    Whilst outbreaks of the Coronavirus still occur, as happened in Chengdu City in China’s western interior, just before Chinese New Year, China continues to manage the virus well. Whenever it raises its ugly head, strict lockdown measures are enforced and travel bans implemented to prevent its spread. Adherence to the rules has meant that Chinese people are enjoying ‘a life more normal’ than we are able to experience just yet. We would certainly like a bit more of that!

  • Every area of human endeavour will be impacted by China

    Every area of human endeavour will be impacted by China

    China’s size in terms of its geography, economy & population, means that its impact will be felt in significant ways around the world. Like its politics or not, therefore, people of all nations will come into contact with its tech, social media apps, investments, trade, e-commerce, values, influence and reach.

    We caught up with our charity’s Political Ambassador, Dr Kerry Brown, a leading academic on China, and Professor of Chinese studies at the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. Dr Brown says,

    In the 1970s the Chinese realised that their knowledge levels of the outside world were poor. Consequently, they invested vast amounts of time and effort in going to look at that world and learn from it. In 2021, Europeans – and Americans in particular – need to adopt a similar mindset, and see China not as an object of criticism and a place which is a repository of difference,  but somewhere where we can truly learn from.

    Despite its economic progress in recent years, that it is home to more billionaires than anywhere else in the world and is the initiator of the Belt & Road initiative – heralded as an economic driver for the world for a generation – China is little understood in the west. Brits who can speak decent Mandarin Chinese could be counted only in a few thousand.

    This year the Coronavirus was called by President Donald Trump, “the China virus.” That single nomenclature added to the commonly held negative feelings about the world’s second largest economy.

    In Dr Brown’s short video, however, he suggests that we would do well to take a closer look at what China is, what it means, what we can learn from it, “not least because it represents one fifth of humanity and therefore a large part of humanity and its society.” In 2020, this year in which Britain leaves the European Union and seeks to find fresh ways to achieve its global goals, it would do well to consider what China has to offer other than cheap goods and labour. Indeed, for our nation’s young people, China and its opportunities should be taken into consideration when looking at future careers.

    Dr Brown is a regular speaker, author of countless books, papers and articles on China. We are proud to have him as one of our stellar ambassadors who can share real insights into what China is now and support us in our work to build China literacy in schools.

    Let us know what you think.

  • Your body starts decaying as you get fitter…

    Christian Havrehed, intrepid ocean-rowing adventurer and EwC Adventure Ambassador, launches tomorrow into the North Sea bound for a 300 nautical mile row to Copenhagen. EwC Directors, Theresa Booth & H-J Colston, interviewed him recently about his previous Atlantic ocean-rowing experience. Asked how one prepares for a journey like that, Christian said, “you have to be super fit: 70% mentally and 30% physically. On these arduous journeys your body starts decaying as you get fitter…there isn’t enough time for your body to recover so there is a fine balance to succeed!”

    The other key component for a successful row is the personality of the other rowers in the boat. Christian added, “being in the boat is like being in a pressure cooker; if you don’t get on with each other, you have a huge problem. The row is a mental game above all else. You have to trust the other person completely – and his good intentions.”

    The ‘reverse Viking row,’ due to launch off on Saturday 08 August, will include four men. Christian and the captain of this row, Chris Martin, have both rowed at least one ocean. The other two men are marines. Let’s hope that their personalities are compatible, and that trust is quick to build. This 4-6 day journey, depending on the prevailing winds, will require them to row in a gruelling 2 hour on/2 hour off schedule. 

    When I caught up with Christian yesterday, he said, “I can’t wait to get out into the North Sea!” It seems like, for someone like him, there is somewhere to go to get away from COVID.

    [Photo taken on launch day, 2001, leaving Tenerife with rowing partner, Sun Haibin]

    As they say in Chinese, 一路平安, safe journey! Let’s hope they all “合得来” and get on well! [To stay updated on this rowing journey and other EwC news, follow us on Twitter or sign up for our latest News]

  • ‘Reverse Viking’ row: Norfolk to Denmark in pursuit of re-writing of the history of exploration

    This Saturday, 08 August, Christian Havrehed, Danish adventurer, inspirational speaker & EwC Adventure Ambassador, will push off in an ocean-going rowing boat destined for Copenhagen in Denmark. This 300-nautical mile journey will include rowing both in the North Sea and up the Eider Kanal across Germany just as the Vikings did centuries ago. Setting out from Lowestoft Marina in Suffolk on a ‘reverse Viking row’ should take 4-8 days, subject to prevailing winds, weather and busy traffic in the shipping lanes. 

    This will not be Christian’s first sea-going row – nor his last! In 2001, he rowed with Chinese athlete, Sun Haibin, across the Atlantic in 56 days, in the newly inaugurated Ward-Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge.  The purpose of the journey this Saturday is for Christian to take delivery of his new ocean rowing boat, in anticipation of a much larger row next year from Ningbo in Eastern China to Japan in May 2021.

    “I believe that history can be brought alive through the medium of adventure,” says Christian. “Since 2001, I have been researching whether the Chinese & Vikings visited America before Columbus. The row commencing on 08 August, together with further historical research and other nautical adventures, will look for physical clues to back up historical claims.” 

    The launch date, 08/08, is most auspicious in Chinese culture and is often associated with good luck. As it happens, the captain of this row will be Chris Martin, founder of New Ocean Wave Ltd, and the first person to row across both the Atlantic & the Pacific Oceans. Two marines will also be pulling the oars with them, on a gruelling 2-hour on and two hours off cycle so the crew should be in several pairs of safe hands!

    EwC directors, Theresa Booth & H-J Colston, will be at Lowestoft Marina on Saturday morning to cheer on the crew as they meet each other for the first time and familiarise themselves with the boat. The British are obsessed with the weather but, when you are about to set out into the North Sea, busy with ocean-going vessels, it is important to minimise risks, where possible. Subject to the weather and tides, the crew hopes to launch on the afternoon high tide.

    Christian’s company is called Yantu, (沿途) which in Chinese means “along the way.” His slogan is, “合作可以更多”or, “together we can do more.” Engage with China is proud to have been nominated as a Campaign support partner for these journeys and will accompany him virtually “along the way” as our logo will be visible on the side of the boat.

    Christian hopes to raise funds during these adventures to support cross-cultural understanding and Engage with China hopes that, by supporting Christian’s academic research and these adventures, we can do more together to build China literacy in UK schools by enabling young people to make connections across other curriculum subjects, such as history and geography and build curiosity about China.

    [To stay updated on this rowing journey and other EwC news, follow us on Twitter or sign up for our latest News]

  • “China Remembers” – to understand China now, you need to uncover its history

    One of our Engage with China Ambassadors, Zhang Lijia, journalist and social commentator, is re-publishing “China Remembers,” a book she co-authored with former China Correspondent for both USA Today & subsequently The Times, Calum MacLeod in 1999. A book like this will not be out of date, even twenty years on. What it captures is the stories of the lives of ordinary people, who lived through unprecedented change and tumultuous times that were the hallmark of China from the 1950s to the end of the last century. Told through a kaleidoscope of eye-witness accounts, including street vendors, rubbish collectors, business people, a Red Guard and a farmer, the true story of what happened in China and how it affected the lives of ordinary people and their hopes for the future, is laid bare.

    The authors of the book, quote Chairman Mao as saying that he “likened China to a blank word on which fine words could be written.” I am looking at my original, signed copy now. Mao’s China has certainly changed dramatically in the decades since his death. Sir Edward Heath, former Prime Minister and one who engaged positively with China, added his testimonial to the book, saying, “…the stories compiled here resonate with courage, determination and confidence in a brighter future.” That future has certainly become brighter for hundreds of millions of people who have been lifted out of poverty during recent decades of China’s economic rise. Chinese entrepreneurs, innovators & ground-breaking billionaires like Jack Ma of Alibaba, whilst the exception, are testament to the opportunities and change that have occurred in China and show that socialism there has “Chinese” but also capitalist characteristics.

    One way of achieving change was through education and Mao had an aim to build nationwide literacy. Leafing through the book, I look at the story of Zhang Tong, a teacher, who was part of the study school movement to help educate the country from 1949. Back then, only 10% of the population was literate. Credit to the Communist Party for starting to tackle the problem, simplifying the writing system and giving more opportunities to girls. However, at the time of the original publication of Lijia’s book, only 6% of China’s young and middle aged were still illiterate by 1999. I remember travelling in rural Yunnan Province in 1991 and meeting elderly women who could not read or write. According to 2018 statistics, literacy in China stands at 96.8% of those aged 15+ and has grown at over 10% since the 1960s. That’s incredible change in my book.

    I encourage you to enjoy reading these human stories including from a former administrator at the Potala Palace, a friend of Comrade Lei Feng and a collector of Mao badges. Through them you will get a rich insight into the complex threads of life and experiences whose legacy inform the tapestry of China’s modern reality. Understanding China’s past will help us to understand its present context. Engage with China is an educational charity committed to removing illiteracy about China in UK schools. We have much to gain and much to learn from knowing China better.

    Available now from Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/China-Remembers-extraordinary-personal-journeys-ebook/dp/B08CNJGF57/ref=sr_1_2

  • Ocean rower becomes EwC “Adventure Ambassador”

    Engage with China is delighted to announce the appointment of its newest Ambassador, Christian Havrehed, adventurer, ocean-rower, inspirational speaker and founder of Yantu.com. A graduate in Chinese Studies from the University of Durham and always interested in the sea, Christian was deemed “crazy enough” to enter the newly inaugurated Ward-Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge in 2001. His rowing partner was Chinese athlete, Sun Haibin, in what was considered a collaborative joint venture of mental and physical endurance. The journey from Tenerife to Barbados took the pair 56 days to accomplish. Both athletes became the first Dane and Chinese, respectively, to row an ocean, and Sun was even nominated Sportsman of the Year in China. 

    Former consultant at KPMG based in Hong Kong and then Shanghai, Christian has been interested in Chinese history for decades. His adventures aim to validate his research thesis that the Chinese, like the Vikings, reached America before Christopher Columbus. “I believe that history can be brought alive through the medium of adventure,” says Christian. It would seem that his own personal history also drives his interest in China and the oceans. Both his grandfather and great, great, great, great grandfather, were sea-farers who ended up working in China and Macau, the latter even learning mandarin which was illegal at the time.

    Christian’s research since 2001, revolves around the 219BC voyage by sorcerer Xu Fu, who, according to Chinese history, was sent by the First Emperor, Qin Shihuang, – (of Terracotta Warriors fame) – to bring back the elixir of immortality kept by the Gods in the Eastern Seas. Xu Fu made two voyages but never returned from the second.  No one knows where Xu Fu and his entourage settled, but there are temples dedicated to him, including along the east and west coasts of Japan. Christian, along with academics like the late Joseph Needham, believes that Xu Fu may have used the Kuroshio current to make it across the Pacific Ocean to America and settled there to escape certain death from the Emperor for deceiving him and failing to produce the elixir. 

    From his education during 6th form at Atlantic College in Cardiff, part of the United World College network, Christian believes that life must include an element of “giving back.” His adventures aim to raise money for UWC & other educational causes.

    Engage with China, an educational charity dedicated to building China literacy in UK schools, is delighted to be a Campaign Partner for Christian’s Yantu 沿途 project. Yantu in Chinese means “along the way.” We will be supporting his adventures on land and water and agree with his slogan that, “合作可以更多!” In these COVID times it is more important than ever to find ways for international cooperation and understanding – even if these are conducted upon the high seas!

    The next rowing adventure is coming soon… watch this space! Meantime, do read more about him http://www.engagewithchina.org/trustees/

  • Patron Sir Anthony Seldon Asks All Schools to Take China Seriously

    Sir Anthony Seldon is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, former Headteacher & author of over 35 books on contemporary history, politics & education. He was a pioneer in opening a dedicated Mandarin Learning Centre in 2012 to enable his pupils at Wellington, “to embrace China.” We are delighted that Sir Anthony is Patron of Engage with China.

    In this video, Sir Anthony stresses the importance for “all schools … to take China seriously.” He continues, “like it or not, China is going to be the dominant country as [young people] go forward in their lives…” Sir Anthony is renowned for his contributions to the public debate on education. His insights into the importance, content and purpose of education, the ‘school journey,’ the role of pastoral care, the development of skills & the role of assessments are well-known. He is familiar with the mental health fall-out that can often accompany the student experience, exam & peer pressures & the ‘one size fit all’ methods employed in teaching today. Indeed, he was the first Head to introduce “happiness” lessons into the curriculum in 2006. His belief that, “all school leaders should ensure that you really do engage with China – both inside & outside the curriculum,” is validation indeed of the vision of Engage with China.

    I was fascinated to read his book, ‘The Fourth Education Revolution.’ In it, Sir Anthony stresses the importance of educators to consider now how best to equip young people for a future that we cannot even conceive of yet due to the speed of change happening through AI. This means that educators must re-think what the right & relevant skills, knowledge, mindset and learning styles are to enable our young people to adapt, learn, re-learn & live fulfilled lives.

    Educators will be familiar with the four categories of the educational framework as devised by the Center for Curriculum Redesign, namely:
    1) Knowledge – what we know & understand – facts – around traditional subjects including maths & history
    2) Skills – (how we use what we know, including creativity, communication & critical thinking)
    3) ‘Character’ – (how we behave & engage in the world such as mindfulness, curiosity, ethics & leadership) &
    4) ‘Meta-learning’ – how we reflect on what we learn, re-learn & adapt


    We already know that secondary school pupils, and the primary school pupils to follow after them, will graduate into a world that is vastly different from today. We would argue that China should absolutely appear in the knowledge category above. Knowledge is power and, as the rise of China will play an increasing role on the world-stage, young people would be disadvantaged if they do not understand more about its characteristics and impact. But it shouldn’t just stop there.

    COVID has forced us to fast-forward and examine the place, role, necessity and
    effectiveness of online learning, the platforms available to use & the way that students can access & engage with them. AI, big data, climate change, terrorism, nationalism, the ramifications of Brexit, dare we dream it, a post-COVID world… all of these will shape the life experiences, motivations, aspirations & opportunities of our young people. This is where the other categories in the educational framework are so vital to consider.

    If young people do not to discover something deeper of China’s ancient civilisation or its size and scale then we deny them the ability to compare and contrast different systems of governance, the culture of the Chinese people or to understand our role in its history. Looking at these will absolutely help in shaping their meta-learning. As they learn about China and reflect on their own national values and systems, they will hone skills around curiosity and critical thinking, courageous advocacy and encourage them to interrogate news and unconscious bias.

    We believe that this fresh China learning, provided by Engage with China, that can be linked across all curriculum subjects, would prompt young people to think about what they can learn from the Chinese about resilience, social networks and a global outlook, for example. This in turn will develop their character skills as they discover more about themselves, the importance of communication, interaction & diplomacy. More than ever will our young people need to be ready to collaborate and lead as they contemplate & shape their place within this fast-changing world. We believe we need to start doing this now. We owe it to our young people.

    About: At Engage with China, we believe that without understanding China, its modern context, its economic growth and its cultural mindset, young people will be greatly disadvantaged in their future lives. Our curriculum enrichment programmes build China literacy in order to enable young people to achieve fulfilment and success in a world where China will occupy a greater space in geo-politics, economic development (& recovery), the environment, technology and the global job-market.

    Find out more about our extra-curricular enrichment programmes:
    info@engagewithchina.org