Celebrating Dragon Boat Festival

Melodies of the Chinese Zither and the Perfume of Books
琴韵书香迎端午

Friday 30th May 2025
13:00 – 15:00
Auditorium, The McClay Library

Speaker/Performer:

  • Wei DENG (邓维), QUB alumna from School of Arts, English and Languages
  • Chen GAO (高宸), visiting PhD candidate at School of Arts, English and Languages, from Minzu University of China

Outline:

This special forum consists of two sections.

In the first half, Wei will introduce her proposed project with Ludo Dao CIC which is committed to exploring the development of an intercultural approach to musical performance, focusing on the dialogue between the Chinese traditional guzheng and Northern Irish musical instruments. She will also perform selected guzheng pieces live and warmly invites local musicians — from Queen’s and beyond — to join in this intercultural exchange through music.

In the second half, Chen will present an introduction to the Siku Quanshu (《四库全书》), the monumental imperial collection that has recently been shelved in Queen’s McClay Library. Focusing on its compilation process and the discernment of scholarly traditions, Chen will explore both the historical significance and contemporary relevance of the Complete Library of the Four Repertoires.

Between Books and Beats: My life at Queen’s – 1

Happy International Dance Day! 国际舞蹈日快乐 (Guójì Wǔdǎo Rì kuàilè)

International Dance Day, celebrated globally on the 29th of April every year since 1982, is an annual celebration of how dancing positively impacts our lives.

Click to read more about International Dance Day

In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on the 29th April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), creator of modern ballet. The intention of the International Dance Day Message is to celebrate dance, revel in the universality of this art form, cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers, and bring people together with a common language – dance.

1982年,国际戏剧协会ITI旗下舞蹈委员会成立国际舞蹈日这一艺术节日,日期定在每年的4月29日,这一天也是现代芭蕾之父Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810)的诞辰日。 每年的国际舞蹈日都会有一位杰出的舞蹈界人士撰写献辞。献辞的目的在于庆祝舞蹈这一能够跨越政治、文化、种族障碍,能够将人们聚在一起的全球共通的艺术形式。
Internationaldanceday.org

On this special day, we are pleased to invite Liu Ningning (刘宁宁), a first-year PhD student in Law at Queen’s, to share her life with dancing, in particular, her experience with the QUB Dance Club.

Being part of the QUB Dance team has been one of the best decisions I have made since arriving in Belfast. It reminded me that pursuing academic excellence and personal passions can go hand-in-hand, and that life at Queen’s is full of wonderful opportunities to connect, challenge yourself, and grow.

When I began my PhD journey at Queen’s last September, I was determined not only to immerse myself in academic life but also to contribute actively to the vibrant community here. As a first-year PhD student at the School of Law under a DfE scholarship, I was honoured to be elected as the PhD Student Representative on the Doctoral Studies Committee. Yet another important and unexpected chapter unfolded beyond the library and lecture halls — through dance.

Click to read more about Ningning’s academic background

Ningning Liu, a commercial lawyer with a Juris Master degree from Fudan University and a BA in German Language and Literature from Tongji University, has been awarded the prestigious AHSS International DfE Award. Ningning will begin her PhD at the School of Law, focusing on women’s rights to political participation in modern China — specifically in Shanghai from the 1840s to the 1940s — and seeks to draw lessons for women’s empowerment today. Her research addresses critical questions about the role of women in shaping the legislative, political, and social landscapes in modern Shanghai, and the lasting impact of their political engagement on China and beyond. (Source: QUB School of Law)

After successfully passing a competitive audition, I became an active member of the QUB Dance Club, being the only international, Asian, and PhD student among a team primarily composed of undergraduates. It since has been an unforgettable and transformative experience for me.

Throughout the year, alongside my academic progress, I devoted many evenings and weekends to rehearsals, participated in major fundraising events such as So You Think You Can Dance and QUB Strictly Come Dancing (where we raised over £1,200 for charity in total!), and proudly represented Queen’s at national dance competitions in Leeds and Liverpool. One of the highlights was when our team won 2nd place in the Advanced Hip-Hop category — a moment that filled me with pride, not just for myself, but for everyone who had worked tirelessly alongside me.

Liu Ningning (centre) at dance with her teammates (Photo credit: by Jordan, QUB Dance Team)

Coming from Shanghai, I have been dancing hip-hop for around five years. For me, dance is not just a hobby — it is a part of who I am. I was thrilled to find that even during my intense PhD life, I could continue this passion at Queen’s. In fact, dance has made me more energetic, better at time management, and even more focused on my research. My supervisors have been incredibly supportive, and I am deeply grateful for their encouragement.

Of course, this journey was not without its challenges. As the only international and PhD member of the team, I initially found it demanding to adjust to the fast-paced, competitive environment dominated by undergraduates. I needed to develop greater flexibility in my approach to teamwork, quickly learn new choreography, and adapt to the group’s dynamic performance style. I actively sought feedback from more experienced teammates, spent additional hours practicing, and carefully analysed recorded performances to identify areas for improvement. Gradually, I adapted my style to align more closely with the team’s approach while also introducing elements of my own background in dance to add creative variety. These experiences not only strengthened my ability to think flexibly and critically to assess my progress but also boosted my confidence in tackling new challenges.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been the friendships I built within the team. Regardless of our different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, we have connected well through our shared passion for dance. I am truly inspired by the team’s spirit, commitment, and the way everyone supports each other both on and off the stage. Their high level of organisation and drive constantly motivate me to push myself, improve, and contribute more.

Liu Ningning (left on the second row top down) with her teammates (Photo credit: Brandy Zhu)

Age, nationality, and background melted away the moment we stepped into the Blue Sky Room or onto the stage of Mandela Hall. During competitions in Leeds and Liverpool, when I received applause and compliments from competitors and audience members, I felt great joy — not just personally, but as a proud representative of Chinese and Asian women. We are strong, resilient, and accomplished, and I believe we should be brave in showing that to the world in every arena we enter.

After the competition season, our hip-hop team was also invited to perform at Queen’s Annual Fashion Show and the QUB Dance Annual Showcase. I made every effort to participate in all the events I could, and in doing so, I learned not only new choreography and performance skills but also valuable lessons about resilience, teamwork, and self-discovery.

If you love dancing, or simply want to try something new, I wholeheartedly encourage you to join a club or society at Queen’s. You never know what amazing experiences and friendships are waiting for you to explore and enjoy!

Related links

Happy Spring Festival

With the Snake succeeding the Dragon (Loong) on Wednesday 29th January, we are now embracing the Chinese New Year, or 春节 (Chūnjié, Spring Festival) in Chinese communities – 春节快乐!Happy Spring Festival!

Lanyon Building in Red

To mark the Chinese New Year 2025 celebrations on Wednesday, 29th January — the first day of the Year of the Snake — Queen’s Lanyon Building was officially illuminated in red.

The Success Lion Dance Club, led by Master Alan Lui, delivered a spectacular lion dance performance, a traditional way of celebrating the Spring Festival in Chinese communities. The lions danced together and interacted with the audience, spreading blessings and good fortune for the year ahead.

Students, staff members, and their families were invited to join group photographs at the end, posing alongside the lions.

Drawing the Snake Competition

Congratulations to the following winners! A full exhibition can be viewed from Drawing the Snake Competition page.

ArtEast online exhibition

Thanks to four ArtEast Club members’ contribution to the online exhibition this year, there are over 30 pieces of artworks we can view from their gallery.

ArtEast 2025 Exhibition

Culture Forum Talks

We would like to thank Luyao and Sinong for their engaging and interesting talks and welcome the upcoming talks delivered by Tong, Siyang, Mi and Tianpeng. Save the dates in your diary and don’t miss out!

CNY entertainment

QUB international student societies are hosting their own events (Open House and CNY Dinner) for the celebration of the Chinese New Year. They welcome both members and non-members to join in their events.

Wishing all staff, students, alumni, and the wider community a joyful and prosperous Year of the Snake!

Happy Year of the Snake

Launch of the Chinese New Year celebrations (Wednesday 22 January) – open to all students and staff

With the arrival of the Year of the Snake on Wednesday 29 January, we would like to send our best wishes to all those who celebrate it and its variations (Lunar New Year in some Asian countries) and invite staff and students to join together on Wednesday 22 January for the main launch event, as below.

This is a collaborative event, organised by The Language Centre, One Elmwood Student Experience Team, Queen’s Students’ Union, CSSA, MSSNI, Ppi Belfast, and Queen’s iRISE Staff Network, supported by People and Culture Diversity and Inclusion team.

  • 12:00 – 13:00      Welcome Reception (Auditorium, McClay Library) – please register for this here.
  • 13:00 – 13:30      Dragon Dance and Parade – departing from McClay Library through Lanyon, finishing at One Elmwood Student Centre and Students’ Union)
  • 13:30 – 16:00      Cultural Fair and Performances (One Elmwood Foyer – Ground Floor)  no registration required

Chinese Culture Forum

The celebration of the Year of the Snake also announces the start of our Chinese Culture Forum in 2025, with the following talks contributed by Queen’s staff and students, including visiting academics and students from a range of disciplines. Check the programme button and book the events that you are interested in.

More events to be uploaded

We are open to proposals for a variety of events that you would wish to help with or contribute to developing our CCP2025 programme. Please do not hesitate to submit your proposals via the form below and we will get in touch with you in due course after your submission.

Laba Festival and CNY2025

Happy Laba Festival (腊八节 Làbā jié)! Falling on the 8th day of the 12th month (called 腊月 làyuè) in the lunar calendar, this Laba Festival is often seen as the signal of the arrival of the Chinese New Year (aka. Spring Festival 春节 Chūn jié in China).

Laba congee cooked | Image@LiangWANG

On the day, in many places across China, mainly the north, northwest and southeast, people cook and eat Laba congee (腊八粥 làbā zhōu), typically made of rice, mixed beans, various nuts and dried fruits, etc., all of which are believed to be good for health. Having Laba congee can keep one feel warm and spirited in the cold and wet weather.

With the Laba Festival arriving today on 7th January this year, one can be certain that the Chinese New Year – Year of the Snake (蛇年 Shénián) starting from 29th January, is just around the corner.

Call for CNY participation

While we are busy preparing for the CNY2025 Programme, we would like to invite you to join us in a few activities that can bring the celebrative elements together. The following calls for participation are totally voluntary and you are welcome to attend one or all, as long as you feel like relevant and meaningful.

Pre-CNY Workshops
蛇年新春工作坊

This event is for all QUB students, staff and their families who currently reside in Belfast and NI.

Volunteering for CNY Events
春节活动志愿者招募

This event is for staff and students at Queen’s to volunteer at our series of events such as the CNY Gala, CNY Interactive Fair, Culture Workshops, etc.

Chinese Forum Talks

We always welcome public talks covering a variety of topics from students and scholars at Queen’s and from elsewhere.

We would like to thank you for your support and look forward to welcoming you to join our celebrations that are to come soon. Stay tuned!

Mid-Autumn Festival and Welcome Event

Welcome to the Mid-Autumn Festival and Welcome event, which is jointly organised by the Language Centre and BAME & International Staff Network, and supported by the Student Experience Team. This event aims to provide a space for staff members and students to meet and network, share knowledge and enrich intercultural experiences.


This event celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with a taste of mooncakes and an appreciation of cultural performances. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Tuesday 17th September. We would like to invite students and staff members to join us in the celebration at Queen’s.

Date: Thursday 12th September 2024
Time: 14:00 – 16:30 
Venue: Cube, One Elmwood

Please note that the mooncakes we provide contain traces of eggs and nuts, though we will organise some vegetarian snacks. Due to limited capacity of the Cube, we are only able to accommodate 80 people, on a first-come-first-serve basis. A waiting list will be managed if vacancies appear. 

We also hope to take photos and may record some clips on the day. If you are not happy to be included, please let us know in advance.

CNY Prize Collection

Congratulations to all the winners of the CNY celebrations in February 2024!

On March 20th, the highly anticipated CNY Prize Collection event took place at One Elmwood, where the Launch event was also hosted.

CNY Launch event group photo after Dragon Dance at One Elmwood
CNY Prize Collection group photo with part of the winners.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of various departments, including The Language Centre, iRISE Staff Network, Student Experience Team, SU Shop, and Diversity, Inclusion, and Staff Wellbeing Unit at Queen’s, the prizes were generously contributed.

These prizes were awarded to participants of the Drawing the Dragon Competition and Fun Time with Table Tennis, as listed below:

The primary organizers, Dr. Liang Wang from The Language Centre and Victoria Gilroy from the Student Experience Team, personally extended their gratitude to the winners for their enthusiasm and engagement. They hoped that everyone had a delightful experience during this entertaining and educational celebration, which has become a hallmark socio-cultural programme for nearly a decade.

Dr Liang Wang and Victoria Gilroy at the CNY Prize Collection.

As part of the broader initiative of Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s, Dr Liang Wang invited more individuals and groups, including Queen’s students and staff members, as well as members of the public from diverse cultural backgrounds, to contribute to fostering a multicultural campus environment at Queen’s and beyond.

2024 BIT Summer (Chinese) Programme

Calling all QUB learners of Chinese for an online Chinese Summer Camp

Following the successful Beijing Institute of Technology's (BIT) winter Chinese online programme, QUB student and staff learners are invited again to attend their summer programme. The following message is sent from BIT - any recruitment enquiries please contact BIT team. QUB Language Centre is only responsible for collecting and submitting the nomination form.

Warm greetings from Beijing Institute of Technology!

We are glad to announce the call for 2024 BIT Summer Program !

There are both ON-CAMPUS (4-week) and ONLINE (2-week) programs available in the summer of 2024.

We are excited to share that 10 FREE seats for on-campus programs are saved for your EPS students!

Tuition, on-campus accommodation, teaching materials, insurance, culture tours are covered by BIT for students from our partners! Students only need to bear the expenses for international travel and meals during they study in China.

Online program is also totally FREE and NO NUMBER LIMIT.

Four topics are available this summer:

  • Future Decarbonizing Technology and Green Energy(On-campus)
  • Hands-on Learning for Emerging Technologies in Electronics Engineering (On-campus)
  • Emerging Technologies in Materials for Renewable Energy (On-campus)
  • Chinese Language and Multicultural Practice(On-campus & Online)


Duration:
On-campus program: July 1July 27, 2024
Online program: August 5 – August 16, 2024

Nomination from partner university is necessary and sent before April 1st, 2024.

Student Application Deadlines:

  • 30 April, 2024 (First round)
  • 15 May, 2024 (Second round)

Application Platform: apply.isc.bit.edu.cn

More details could be found in the attached brochure and website at https://isc.bit.edu.cn/admissionsaid/spss/languageulture/index.htm for on-campus programs and https://isc.bit.edu.cn/admissionsaid/spss/languageulture_20201010031104805795/index.htm for online-program.

Looking forward to your nomination and students!

Happy Year of the Loong

The 龙 Lóng (or Loong / Chinese Dragon) has just arrived at Queen’s!

What an exciting day to welcome the auspicious 龙 Lóng (or Loong / Chinese Dragon) to Queen’s One Elmwood on Thursday 8th February, regardless of the blustery weather (which was said to be accompanying the Loong)!

Dragon Dance performed by QUB Success Lion Dance Club at One Elmwood social space.

Over 60 staff and student representatives from a range of diverse cultural backgrounds celebrated the launch of Year of The Chinese Dragon programme, jointly organised by the Language Centre, iRISE Staff Network, Student Experience Team, The Graduate School, Chinese Students and Scholars Association, supported by Diversity, Inclusion and Staff Wellbeing Unit, and partially sponsored by the QUB Annual Fund.

Professor Margaret Topping, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, welcomed the value of contact between different languages and cultures for the benefit of enhanced mutual respect through intercultural exchange.

Professor Margaret Topping, PVC (Global Engagement), delivered a welcome speech to the audience.

We wish that this celebration programme on the Year of The Chinese Dragon, as part of our Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s scheme, will make a contribution to the multicultural campus development, which sees differences as strength to foster an environment of open-mindedness and acceptance.

The Launch event featured student/alumni performances including guzheng music and classical dance, QUB Staff Wellbeing Choir’s singing of both Chinese and local songs, and the bustling and exciting Dragon Dance inside One Elmwood, followed by an interactive CNY Fair with cultural displays.

The CNY celebration programme includes a three-week-long events and it welcomes all students and staff members to choose their favourate ones to attend in the coming two weeks. For full programme and registration links, please visit CCP2024 Homepage.

More photos will be added to our FB account and if you wish to share yours with us, please attach them via the Comment box below, or click the link for multiple uploading

Spring Festival Season Starts

The Start of Spring (立春) falls on Sunday 4th Feb according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which well announces the arrival of Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) celebration in China and elsewhere.

Spring Festival Gala

On Saturday 3rd Feb, the Chinese Students’ Society presented a fabulous Gala of performances to entertain not only QUB students and staff members, but also their families and local communities, with an intoxicating atmosphere that brought people together, no matter what cultural backgrounds they belong to, for a bustling night at the Mandela Hall, One Elmwood.

Culture Talk

The success of the Spring Festival Gala has extended its inviting arms to welcome more audience to join in a great variety of cultural events that are to come, with a culture talk presented by Dr Ibrar Bhatt and Heng WANG on their research reflections on Chinese Muslim Heritage Literacy, which is scheduled between 3 pm and 4:30 pm on Monday, 05/02, at the Auditorium, McClay Library. The talk will also include a display of notable pieces of traditional art collected during fieldwork. QUB colleagues and students are welcome to attend this joint event organised by the Centre for Language Education Research and The Language Centre.

To attend this event, please register via the link or scanning the QR code.

Online Exhibitions

We are also pleased to announce the start of our online exhibitions – Drawing The Dragon Competition and ArtEast Exhibition from Sunday 04/02. The audience are more than welcome to leave your comments to the artworks and share their thoughts in line with the themes.

More Celebrations

Last but not least, we are would like to remind that there are two more big celebrations lined up for this week – The Festival of Chinese New Year hosted by the Graduate School on Wednesday and CNY Launch Day with Interactive Fair on Thursday in One Elmwood. Places are limited so advance bookings are required.