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.
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.
Monday 16th February 2026 13:00-14:00 Auditorium, The McClay Library
Speaker: Professor Mark ThorntonBurnett 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.
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.
5th December is International Volunteer Day. We warmly invite Queen’s students and societies, staff and service teams, along with civic and community partners, to join this information session to celebrate International Volunteer Day and to explore ways to contribute to Queen’s Year of the Horse celebrations.
Come join us at 1 pm on the day in the iconic Great Hall for a get-together and sharing of celebration information and ideas.
Organised by Queen’s Chinese students and alumni, this concert is a community-oriented cultural initiative designed to foster diversity, inclusion, and intercultural dialogue in Northern Ireland. As the Chinese community represents one of the largest cultural groups in Northern Ireland, the concert also responds to their need for collective expression and connection, particularly for students and residents who may experience isolation or homesickness.
This concert project supports civic engagement by providing an accessible platform where local and international communities can come together to experience Chinese cultural heritage. Aligned with the principle that “music knows no borders”, the concert contributes to cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and the creation of more inclusive civic spaces. It directly supports institutional priorities in widening participation, celebrating cultural diversity, and strengthening community cohesion.
The concert presents Chinese classical poetry through art songs accompanied by piano and guzheng, bringing Eastern and Western musical traditions into conversation.
Queen’s students and staff members, as well as members of the public, are all welcome to sign up for the concert. Places are limited and tickets will be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis. To register, please either click the button below, or scan the QR code above.
Despite a busy – and perhaps slightly tedious – November filled with deadlines and submissions, the Chinese community at Queen’s, including both scholars and students, continues to bring campus life to full vigor and vitality.
This month, two academic seminars are scheduled, and we warmly invite you to attend and take part in these stimulating academic dialogues.
Seminar 1
Ni Yang, PhD student from School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, will present ‘1976-1995: The Intersection of Urbanisation and Artistic Liberation in China: Beijing East Village’ at the History Seminar.
This seminar examines Beijing East Village (1992–1995) as a unique outcome of China’s post-Mao transformation, set against the backdrop of urban restructuring, market reforms, and shifting cultural policies. Following the end of the Cultural Revolution and the ideological thaw of the 1980s, Beijing underwent rapid urbanisation, the demolition of traditional neighbourhoods, expansion of infrastructure, and emergence of informal ‘urban villages’ on the city’s periphery. In these liminal zones, beyond full state control, artists forged new spaces for experimentation. East Village became a focal point where figures such as Rong Rong, Lü Nan, Zhang Huan, and Ma Liuming developed radical performance and photographic works that challenged social norms and redefined artistic freedom. Through case studies including 12 Square Metres, Fen-Ma Liuming’s Lunch, and To Add One Metre to an Anonymous Mountain, this seminar explores how photography mediated between transient performances and enduring cultural memory, amplifying their impact across domestic and international contexts. Situating East Village within the broader currents of economic reform, spatial politics, and cultural negotiation, it reconsiders the role of art in documenting, critiquing, and shaping a rapidly transforming society.
Ni Yang is a PhD student specialising in the intersection of history and photography, examining how images both document and shape historical change. His doctoral research investigates the cultural, political, and urban transformations of post-Mao China, analysing how photography operates as a medium for recording social realities, constructing public memory, and negotiating cultural identity. By situating photographic practice within the broader historical currents of reform, urbanisation, and shifting cultural policy, his work reveals the complex interplay between visual culture and the lived experience of historical transition.
Refreshments, drinks, and snacks will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
Seminar 2
Dr Zi Yang, on behalf of the Private and Commercial Research Cluster, warmly invites you to join the research seminar with Professor Xiahong Chen, a visiting scholar from China University of Political Science and Law, on Tuesday 18th November in Board Room 2 (MST / 08 /014), School of Law.
Professor Xiahong Chen is Research Fellow at the Bankruptcy Law & Restructuring Research Centre of the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) and Senior Editor and Director of the Journal of CUPL (core comprehensive academic journal in China). He is an internationally recognised scholar of bankruptcy and insolvency law, with over 18 books and numerous impactful articles in leading journals, including Annotations to the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law (Peking University Press 2021) and Notes on Bankruptcy Law (Law Press 2021). His research has been translated internationally, and he is a member of INSOL Europe, INSOL International, and the American Bankruptcy Institute. The talk with focus on China’s recent Insolvency Law reform.
Refreshments, drinks, and snacks will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!
On Friday, 3 October, despite the adverse weather conditions, the Mid-Autumn Festival and Welcome Event went ahead as planned, bringing together over 50 students, staff (including visiting scholars), and community partners in the McClay Library Auditorium. The celebration featured live music, cultural displays, talks, and refreshments, all showcasing the vibrancy and inclusiveness of Queen’s community.
Decoration with mooncakes and flowers
Decoration with mooncakes and flowers
The event opened with a captivating guzheng performance of Moon Rising High by PhD candidate Li Fei, setting a graceful tone for the afternoon’s celebration of community and civic engagement.
Welcoming guzheng music by LI Fei
Welcoming guzheng music by LI Fei
Jointly organised by The Language Centre and iRise (BAME&I) Staff Network, the event featured welcoming remarks from Thomas (Language Centre Manager) and Bee-Yen (Senior Lecturer, School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Co-Chair of iRise), who both reflected on the cultural importance of celebrating diversity at Queen’s. Mórrigan (Student Officer for Accessible Education) and Claudia (Chair of the International Students’ Association) also spoke, introducing the roles of the Queen’s Students’ Union in supporting a student body representing over 80 countries and regions.
Welcome by Thomas Smith, Language Centre Manager
Welcome by Dr Bee-Yen Toh, iRise Staff Network co-chair
Welcome by Mórrigan McEvoy, Student Officer Accessible Education
Welcome by Claudia Liu, Chair of International Students’ Association
Dr Liang Wang shared greetings from both local and international participants, including a surprise message from Queen’s University, Canada, and highlighted a series of successful student- and staff-led projects in line with the Cultural Diversity Scheme at Queen’s in recent years. He also invited attendees to take part in the new round of upcoming activities. Special thanks were given to student volunteer Shiuh Ting Gho, who delighted participants with beautifully written calligraphy pieces of traditional festival greetings.
Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations at Queen’s
Introduction to Mid-Autumn Festival
Greetings from the participants
Greetings from the participants
Greeting from a special guest from Queen’s University in Canada
Calligraphy display from Shiuh Ting Gho
Highlight 1 – Journal of Eutopia Art and Culture
Highlight 1 – Journal of Eutopia Art and Culture
Highlight 2 – Taste of the World: A Journey Through Food and Culture
Highlight 2 – Taste of the World: A Journey Through Food and Culture
Highlight 3 – QUB DEIB Forum
Highlight 4 – Bridges to China Project
In the cultural display segment, Li Fei further demonstrated her artistry through a traditional tea and incense ceremony, showcasing the elegance and mindfulness of Chinese cultural practices. Attendees showed great enthusiasm, enjoying both the demonstration and a taste of freshly brewed Chinese tea.
The afternoon concluded with networking, mooncake tasting, and refreshments, leaving everyone with warm smiles and shared appreciation for Queen’s commitment to cultural diversity and inclusion.
Hello September, we hope all will settle in quickly and have a great start!
With the start of the new academic year, we are delighted to host a special welcome event that brings together staff and students to connect, share knowledge, and celebrate intercultural experiences. This gathering marks the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time of reunion and appreciation, with the chance to enjoy mooncakes and experience cultural performances. We warmly invite all students and staff to join us for this festive celebration at Queen’s!
Date: Friday 3rd October 2025 Time: 13:30 – 16:00 Venue: Auditorium, The McClay Library
Due to limited capacity of the room and high demand, we are only able to accommodate up to 50 people, on a first-come-first-serve basis. People who are informed on a waiting list will be contacted if vacancies appear.
We hope you will enjoy the event!
Call for volunteers
We are looking for talented students and staff members to volunteer for our Chinese language and cultural events at Queen’s. It could be in the form of a variety of cultural performances, or language/culture-related topics and skills, and is open to both Chinese-speaking and non-Chinese speaking volunteers.
We look forward to working with you in our future events.
