The Fifth UK/ China Friendship and Understanding Competition Awards Ceremony held

Peking University, July 12, 2021: The awards ceremony of the fifth UK/China Friendship and Understanding competition, co-sponsored by SACU (Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding) and the China Center for Edgar Snow Studies (CCESS) at Peking University, was held online with the attendance of UK/China high schools. The essay competition’s theme for this year was: “How can we achieve a better understanding of China”.

Online group photo of the judges

After half a year of assessment of the entries from seven secondary schools, the awards ceremony was held online on June 26. Zoe Reed, chair of SACU, and Dr. Wang Fang co-hosted the awards ceremony. Vice President of SACU Frances Wood commented on the students' essays and announced the winners of the 12 prizes. Sun Hua, director of CCESS, made addresses on behalf of the organizers. President of Chinese Industrial Cooperation Michael Crook gave a brief lecture after the ceremony. Members of SACU and the teachers and students of Highgate School, The King's School, Canterbury, Marlborough College, Cheltenham Ladies' College, and Beijing Changping Xinxuedao Linchuan International School attended the awards ceremony via Zoom.

Francis Wood comments on the students' essays

The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) was founded in London in May 1965 by Dr. Joseph Needham, one of the famous international friends to Chinese people, aiming to promote understanding and friendship between the British and Chinese people.

The CCESS has established a long-term friendly and cooperative relationship with SACU. Zoe Reed, chair of SACU, and Jenny Clegg, vice president of SACU, visited Peking University several times. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of SACU in May 2015, SACU and CCESS launched the first UK/China understanding and friendship essay competition at Oundle school, Needham's alma mater. St. George School, George Hogg's alma mater, took part in the second competition in the next year. Up to now, more than a dozen British high schools have joined the essay competition.

In September 2016, SACU, Beijing Publishing Group, and CCESS jointly held a large-scale cultural exchange activity "A Taste of Beijing" in the British Library in London. During the event, they launched four bilingual books: The Biography of Joseph Needham: A Man Who Loved China and I See a New China by George Hogg, Aid China by Arthur Clegg, and A Bridge Between Hearts: Anglo-Chinese Friendship and Understanding by Zoe Reed.

To further promote cooperation in research, the CCESS launched a joint research project with SACU in 2020, investigating and filing a large number of printed documents and audio-visual materials that are accumulated in the past 55 years since the establishment of SACU and are relevant with people-to-people exchanges between both countries. The research project will be conducted for three years by both Chinese and English scholars.

Zoe Reed presided over the awards ceremony