Tag Archives: society

Calls for Participation

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Happy Longtaitou Festival!

Longtaitou (龙抬头 Lóng tái tóu) Festival, also known as the Dragon-Head-Raising Festival, falls on the second day of the second lunar month each year and marks the traditional beginning of the spring farming season. This year, it falls on Friday 20 March.

Inspired by the symbolic “raising of the dragon’s head”, we are delighted to see a growing interest in Chinese language-related programmes and events. We warmly welcome more participants to join a variety of upcoming activities, as listed below.

Chinese Bridge Competition / Business Chinese Competition – Candidates

The “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition is a large-scale international contest organised by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation. Over the years, 24 UK national finals have been held, with outstanding winners invited to represent the UK at the global finals in China. Participants at this stage have the opportunity to compete for scholarships to further their Chinese-related studies at universities in China.

The Chinese Competition of Business Innovations & Charitable Projects for UK University Students (aka Business Chinese Competition), as a sister event to the Chinese Bridge Competition for UK University Students, is a well-known brand in Business Chinese education across the UK. It aims to promote the improvement and development of Business Chinese teaching in the UK universities, stimulate students’ potential for business innovation, and encourage awareness, participation, and responsibility in charitable projects initiatives. The competition also enables students studying Business Chinese to apply their knowledge in practice and achieve meaningful outcomes, nurturing talents who can contribute to China–UK trade exchange and cooperation.

The 2026 UK national finals will take place on Saturday 6 Friday 5 June in London, organised by the UK Organising Committee. Preliminary rounds will be held by each participating university in advance, with a deadline of Friday 24 April for completion.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Be a university student, aged 18-30
  • Be of non-Chinese nationality
  • Have been born and raised outside China
  • Have a first language other than Chinese
  • Not have taken part in the semi-final or final competition in China in previous years

To know more details and to express your interest, please contact Liang.Wang[at]qub.ac.uk directly, with a brief self-introduction of your education background, including studying of Mandarin Chinese, by Thursday 2nd April.

Chinese School – Teachers/Teaching Assistants

The Chinese Language School Northern Ireland is currently seeking volunteers to support teaching and classroom activities during term time throughout the academic year. Volunteers are expected to commit to the school’s timetable during term time; however, some flexibility can be accommodated with advance notice.

Classes are held weekly on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Suitable candidates are preferably those with a strong background in Chinese language proficiency, along with relevant teaching experience or pedagogical knowledge.

To express your interest, please contact Chinese Language School NI via their WeChat account (ID: beiaizhongwenxuexiao) or email (Chinese.school.ni[at]gmail.com).

Success Chinese Lion Dance Society – Club Members

Success Chinese Lion Dance Society is currently seeking to recruit new members, particularly college and university students, to form the core team for campus-based performances.

Students from all linguistic and cultural backgrounds are warmly welcome. Members from QUB will have the opportunity to establish a student-led society registered with the Queen’s Students’ Union, organise regular training sessions, and participate in community activities under the guidance of the Society’s master.

To express your interest, please contact sliondance[at]yahoo.co.uk

Chinese Culture Programme – Contributors

The Language Centre is looking for talented students and staff members to contribute to our Chinese Culture Programme at Queen’s. The engagement could be in the form of a variety of cultural performances, workshops or language/culture-related public talks and panels. The call is open to both Chinese-speaking and non-Chinese speaking volunteers.

We look forward to working with you in our future events.

Volunteering

Read the Chinese version here.

Learning Chinese language and culture at Queen’s

Finally, the third Semester Language Course registration is open and closes promptly at 17:00 on Thursday 16 April 2026. Classes are expected to be extremely popular and fill up quickly, so early registration is strongly recommended.

To register with a Mandarin Chinese course, please follow the course information page for more information with links to registrations.

Mandarin Chinese at Queen’s

Chinese Graduate’s Talk at HAPP Seminar Series

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Happy HAPP Spring Dialogues 2025!

The School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics has announced its Spring Dialogues to welcome a cohort of their students and alumni to share their research work at the Seminar Series, with Liang HE, a Chinese graduate in Philosophy, being the first one on its programme.

Liang has kindly shared her presentation information and abstract with our Chinese Culture Forum as below. She also would like to extend her invitation to all those who are interested in the topic.

Speaker: Liang HE, MSc International Public Policy

  • Date: Monday 10th March 2025
  • Time: 3:00-4:30 pm
  • Channel: Online via Teams
  • Registration: MS Forms (needs QUB login)

Abstract

Confucian Gender Norms, Patriarchy, and Capitalism: The ‘Privileged’ Middle-Class Chinese Daughter Under the One-Child Policy?

The one-child policy, enacted in China from the 1970s to 2015, has profoundly shaped the
experiences of urban women, particularly the daughters of the emerging middle class. Rooted in Confucian gender norms and reinforced by a patriarchal system, this policy has contributed to societal expectations that prioritize male offspring while simultaneously offering urban women increased access to resources and opportunities. As a result, these “privileged daughters” are often viewed as beneficiaries of urbanization and economic growth.

This paper employs Marxist feminist theory to explore the lives of Chinese middle-class daughters studying in the West. It examines the conflicting pressures they face between traditional gender roles – emphasizing marriage, motherhood, and filial piety – and the aspirations encouraged by a neoliberal environment. These women navigate a complex landscape where they must reconcile their pursuit of autonomy with societal expectations to provide for their families and uphold cultural traditions. By highlighting the experiences of these urban daughters, this research sheds light on how Confucian gender norms and capitalism intersect, revealing the challenges they encounter in balancing personal desires with familial obligations. Ultimately, this paper enhances our understanding of how the intersection of gender norms and capitalist structures shapes the experiences of urban middle-class daughters in contemporary China, revealing the complexities of their identities and the societal expectations they must navigate.