Monthly Archives: January 2026

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3rd EAFF Seminar and Screening: Embodied Practice – Martial Arts, Psychology, and Cross-Cultural Experience
理想国艺术电影节研讨放映会之以身为场——武术、心理与跨文化修行

Monday 26th January 2026
13:00-14:30 
The Cube, One Elmwood

Organisers:

This 2026 Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival is joint event organised by

  • Film, School of Arts, English and Languages
  • The Language Centre at Queen’s
  • China-Europe Youth Film Society

Speakers:

Tianpeng YAO (姚天鹏) is a PhD candidate in Film Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, with his research focus on the audio-visual representation of Eastern philosophical symbols.

He is the founder of the China-Europe Youth Film Society, through which he has been committed to promoting cultural exchanges between Chinese and European young filmmakers.

Before studying at Queen’s, Tianpeng had directed films such as “Searching for Zen” and “Bicycle,” which was accepted in the Official Selection for the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival and won the first prize at the 10th International University Student Microfilm Festival, as well as the official selection of the 22nd Independent Days International Film Festival (Germany). Recently, his documentary film “The Road to Kung Fu” was awarded The Best Long Video Award in 2023 United Nations Chinese Language Day & The Third Chinese Language Video Festival.  

Vikki Hanling Cao (曹瀚翎) is a member of the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) and holds a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast. She is a filmmaker, artist, interpreter and translator. She serves as the core board of directors of the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival since the very founding of the festival. Vikki is the official cinematographer of BCCMA (The British Council for Chinese Martial Arts), and had been the photographer of BSSS(British Society of Soil Science) and SSSI.

Vikki actively took part in the filming and recording of the BBC’s flagship television programme, Antiques Roadshow, with Fiona Bruce. In addition, she also has served as an official simultaneous interpreter for WHO global conferences, Castrol global conferences, some UN-related conferences etc and as a translator for Canterbury Cathedral, etc. And she had worked for Sonorities Festival, EAPRIL (European Association of Practitioner Research on Improving Learning) conferences, One Young World (OYW) Summit and other international summits related. Vikki’s film won the Best Video Award at the 2024 My China Story International Video Competition and another film was runner-up for the BAFTSS Practice Research Award.

Outline:

This Information Session will include the following elements: 

  • Welcome
  • Introduction to the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival and a Review of Previous Editions
  • Launch of the Open Call for the 3rd Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival
  • Submission Guidelines and Key Information
  • Film Screening: Martial Arts, Psychology, and Cross-Cultural Practice
  • Group photo

Film Screening: Martial Arts, Psychology, and Cross-Cultural Practice

This part presents two films from previous editions of the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival. Created by students and staff of Queen’s University Belfast, these works explore the convergence of Eastern and Western embodied practices through the disciplines of boxing and kungfu.

Screening 1: Junayde’s Kungfu Dream (2025)

Directors: Tianpeng Yao and Vikki Hanling Cao

From a young age, British youth Junayde Guven harbored a dream of mastering kung fu and held a deep fascination for Eastern martial arts. To pursue the martial path in his heart, he journeyed thousands of miles to China’s Shaolin Temple, apprenticing under renowned masters to study authentic Shaolin kung fu. Over five years of changing seasons, he honed his skills amidst the temple’s morning bells and evening drums, ultimately elevating his martial arts to a new realm.

Now, bearing the hopes of the British team, he embarks on the journey to the World Kung Fu Championships. What will be the outcome of the competition? How close is he to realizing his kung fu dream? This documentary delves deep into Junayde’s inner journey, revealing his remarkable voyage of cultural integration and self-transcendence.

Screening 2: Feint (2024)

Directors: Christopher Whiteside and Madeline Whiteside

Feint is a drama with psychological horror elements and tells the story of Zoe, a young boxing coach struggling with her mental health and the burden of running the family boxing gym whilst caring for her younger sister under the shadow of their terminally ill mother’s fate.

CCP2026 Homepage

CCT-HuiMa

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Painting with the Shuttle: Chinese Kesi Technique in Silk Tapestry
以梭作画: 中国丝织工艺中的缂丝技艺

Monday 23rd February 2026
13:00-14:00 
Auditorium, The McClay Library

Speaker:
Hui MA (马卉) is a PhD student in the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. Her research focuses on the global trade and cultural significance of Chinese silk exported to the West from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Her work examines the intersection of textile craftsmanship, maritime commerce, and the enduring material exchange between China and the European market during the early modern period.

Abstract:
In this talk, I explore the origins, intricate craftsmanship, and unique cultural status of Kesi (缂丝), which is a special type of silk tapestry. As a luxury textile that played a vital role in China’s artistic and trade history, Kesi is distinguished by its carved appearance and the sophisticated technique of using short shuttles to create painterly compositions. By looking at how it began and the careful steps used to weave it, I argue that Kesi is unique because it uses a special method of continuous warp and broken weft. This lecture provides an overview of how Kesi has remained an art form that cannot be copied by machines, even in the age of mechanical reproduction.

CCP2026 Homepage

CNY2026 Fun Time with Table Tennis

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Date: Saturday 28 February 2026
Time: 12:00 – 15:00
Venue: Main Hall Table Tennis Court, QUB PEC

About the Event:

This event is part of the Chinese New Year Celebrations (Year of the Horse) at Queen’s. Sponsored by the QUB iRISE Staff Network, supported by One Elmwood Student Engagement Team and The Language Centre, we would like to invite all staff members and students, and their families as well, to join this fun and friendly event to engage with this popular sport among the Chinese communities, as well as providing an opportunity for enhancing student and staff wellbeing through sport.

Both beginners and more advanced players are welcome to sign up for the fun event, with an appreciation of its unique culture, as well as developing some practical skills in body movements and mediation. We hope this fun game will also demonstrate the charm of the table tennis playing. We will provide basic equipment such as rackets and balls, and feel free to bring your own equipment and wear properly. Children must be attended by parents or guardians. 

This 3-hour-long event is free for all as non-PEC members’ entry fees are covered. Booking is needed due to capacity (up to 40 players) and access request. Please complete the registration form below. 

Car Parking Parking at the PEC is free for the initial 3 hours of your reservation. After that period, there is a fee of £1.80 per hour. Please register your car at the terminals inside the main PEC Building. To avoid this inconvenience, you may wish to park your cars outside the parking area, alongside the River Lagan Annandale Embankment.

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Shakespeare, Cinema, China
《莎士比亚  · 电影 · 中国》

Monday 16th February 2026
13:00-14:00 
Auditorium, The McClay Library

Speaker:
Professor Mark Thornton Burnett is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He is the author of Masters and Servants in English Renaissance Drama and Culture: Authority and Obedience (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1997), Constructing ‘Monsters’ in Shakespearean Drama and Early Modern Culture (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2002), Filming Shakespeare in the Global Marketplace (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2007; 2nd ed. 2012), Shakespeare and World Cinema (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013) and ‘Hamlet’ and World Cinema (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019). He is series editor of the Arden Shakespeare series, ‘Shakespeare and Adaptation’.

Full profile  

Abstract:
In this talk, I explore the deep connection between the uses of Shakespeare in cinema and China’s evolving cultural, economic and social significances. Shakespeare figures variously in Chinese cinema – as echo and adaptation, as allusion and full-blown transposition, as semi-quotation and vernacular rewrite, as prompt for comic business, and as an exercise in nostalgia. Introducing a broad sweep of historical examples, and centring on two recent Hamlet adaptations – The Banquet (dir. Feng Xiaogang, 2006) and Prince of the Himalayas (dir. Sherwood Hu, 2006) – I argue that Shakespeare and China share a fruitful and exciting relationship, one allied to the past, rooted in the present, and enlivened by continuing intercultural exchange.

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CNY Arts and Crafts Workshops

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Welcoming the Year of the Horse at QUB!

1. CNY Arts and Crafts Workshops

To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Horse, The Language Centre and Student Engagement Team One Elmwood are delighted to organise two CNY Arts and Crafts workshops scheduled for QUB students, staff and their families to attend on

  • Monday 19th January and
  • Friday 6th February

At the workshops (1-4pm), there are also opportunities to do hands-on Chinese calligraphy and paper crafts for the festive decoration.

2. Drawing the Horse Competition and Exhibition

Alongside the workshops, there is the “Drawing the Horse” competition, accompanied by an online exhibition showcasing submitted entries.

In Chinese culture, the Horse symbolises vitality, perseverance, freedom, and success. It is associated with forward momentum, aspiration, and the courage to pursue new horizons -qualities that resonate strongly with learning, creativity, and global engagement within the QUB community.

We invite students and staff to explore these cultural meanings through art and express their own interpretations of the Horse, whether traditional or contemporary, literal or symbolic. All submitted artworks will form part of an online exhibition celebrating creativity, cultural diversity, and the shared spirit of the New Year.

Join us in welcoming the Year of the Horse through drawing, imagination, and cross-cultural appreciation.

Requirement

Participants are encouraged to employ diverse drawing styles and mediums (e.g., sketching, oils, watercolor, sculpture, etc.) as long as they effectively convey your perceptions of the Horse 马/馬 within your own cultural context or Chinese culture. We welcome authentic forms and techniques of presentation, excluding AI-related works.

Submission

Submissions should consist of one drawing per participant, saved as an electronic copy (JEPG/JPG/PNG format, no exceeding 4MB). Please submit your artwork via the provided submission form, accompanied by a brief bio, including your name, status (e.g., educational/professional background), and a concise description of your illustration.

Submission