{"id":5549,"date":"2025-05-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/?p=5549"},"modified":"2025-05-04T09:04:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T08:04:53","slug":"between-books-and-beats-my-life-at-queens-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/2025\/05\/04\/between-books-and-beats-my-life-at-queens-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Books and Beats: My life at Queen\u2019s \u2013 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>In her first episode, Liu Ningning introduced her life with dance at Queen&#8217;s. In the second half, she continues to share with us how she has done so far to build up confidence in academic growth. For more information on her research interest, please read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/schools\/SchoolofLaw\/news\/ningning-liu-phd-scholarship.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.qub.ac.uk\/schools\/SchoolofLaw\/news\/ningning-liu-phd-scholarship.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">School of Law webpage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Between Books and Beats: My life at Queen&#8217;s &#8211; 1<\/summary>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-chinese-at-queen-039-s wp-block-embed-chinese-at-queen-039-s\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"KHHnU7jLzR\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/2025\/04\/29\/between-books-and-beats-my-life-at-queens-1\/\">Between Books and Beats: My life at Queen&#8217;s &#8211; 1<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Between Books and Beats: My life at Queen&#8217;s &#8211; 1&#8221; &#8212; Chinese at Queen&#039;s\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/2025\/04\/29\/between-books-and-beats-my-life-at-queens-1\/embed\/#?secret=371wre9QL8#?secret=KHHnU7jLzR\" data-secret=\"KHHnU7jLzR\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Finding My Voice: From Queen&#8217;s Competition to Cambridge Conversations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a first-year PhD student in Law at Queen\u2019s, one of my goals has always been to go beyond my thesis \u2014 to challenge myself, engage with others, and grow as both a scholar and a communicator. This spring, I took two major steps toward that goal: I participated in the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition hosted by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS), and I attended my first academic conference in the UK \u2014 the Cambridge International Law Journal\u2019s Annual Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cThree Minutes, One Slide\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 3MT Competition took place on 20 March 2025 and brought together PhD researchers from across AHSS Schools to do something both daunting and exciting: present their entire PhD research in just three minutes, using only one static slide, to a non-specialist audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was my first academic competition at Queen\u2019s, my first presentation to a public audience beyond my supervisors and peers, my first time competing in English \u2014 and, frankly, my first time doing anything like this. To make things even more challenging, I wasn\u2019t feeling my best physically that day. But I reminded myself: this wasn\u2019t just about competing \u2014 it was about learning. It was a valuable opportunity for practice, feedback, and growth \u2014 especially ahead of my differentiation review and future conference presentations. I wanted to hear comments from people outside my discipline. I wanted to get my research out there, early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"986\" height=\"880\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-award.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-award.jpg 986w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-award-300x268.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-award-768x685.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-award-336x300.jpg 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Liu Ningning, runner-up award winner, in the group photo of the AHSS 3MT Competition. (Photo source: QUB School of Law)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To my surprise, I was awarded Runner-Up. I was the only Chinese and East Asian student, the only first-year PhD among the winners, and I received incredibly warm, encouraging feedback from both judges and audience members. But what meant the most was realising that my voice could be heard \u2014 and appreciated \u2014 even in a room full of native speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More importantly, I grew from the experience. The challenge of condensing a complex PhD project into a strict three-minute format forced me to reflect on what really matters in my research \u2014 what\u2019s essential, what\u2019s meaningful, and how to connect with people unfamiliar with my field. The process sharpened not only my ideas but also my sense of purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a non-native English speaker, I know how intimidating it can be to speak publicly. Many Chinese students worry about accents, grammar, or not \u201csounding perfect.\u201d But I\u2019ve learned that presentation is not just about flawless English \u2014 it\u2019s about clarity, confidence, and connection. Everyone has an accent. What matters is whether your audience understands your message and feels your intention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter\" data-effect=\"slide\"><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container\"><ul class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper\"><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"942\" height=\"1187\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-5553\" data-id=\"5553\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-at-AHSS-3MC.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-at-AHSS-3MC.jpg 942w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-at-AHSS-3MC-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-at-AHSS-3MC-813x1024.jpg 813w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-at-AHSS-3MC-768x968.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 942px) 100vw, 942px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Liu Ningning at the 3MT Competition event<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1084\" height=\"1360\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-5554\" data-id=\"5554\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-runner-up.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-runner-up.jpg 1084w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-runner-up-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-runner-up-816x1024.jpg 816w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-runner-up-768x964.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1084px) 100vw, 1084px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption\">Liu Ningning&#8217;s Runner-Up Award<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white\" role=\"button\"><\/a><a aria-label=\"Pause Slideshow\" class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause\" role=\"button\"><\/a><div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The competition also gave me the chance to listen and learn from others. I was inspired by the diversity of topics, styles, and approaches. From research focus to methodology to presentation techniques, I came away with insights that will help shape my academic journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would encourage my peers to take part in competitions, workshops, conferences, and other events. Step up, speak out \u2014 not necessary to win, but to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From Queen\u2019s to Cambridge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:39% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-577x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5555 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-577x1024.jpg 577w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-768x1364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-865x1536.jpg 865w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-1153x2048.jpg 1153w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/05\/Blog-post-Liu-Ningning-attending-Cambridge-conference-scaled.jpg 1441w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Building on that momentum, I travelled to Cambridge in late April to attend the 14th Annual Conference of the Cambridge International Law Journal, themed <em>Navigating a Multipolar World: Challenges to the Post-WWII Status Quo of International Law<\/em>. This was my first academic conference in the UK \u2014 and I attended not to present (yet!), but to observe, learn, and take the temperature ahead of my upcoming presentation at the Warwick Law Colloquium in June.<br><br>My academic background \u2014 in German asylum law for my undergraduate thesis, and international organisation law for my master\u2019s \u2014 has always drawn me to global legal issues.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cambridge conference gave me a front-row seat to current conversations on climate justice, international criminal law, cyber governance, and the future of human rights. Attending this conference \u2014 listening to panels, keynote speeches, and hallway conversations \u2014 reminded me why I chose to pursue a PhD. It also gave me ideas for positioning my own research within the broader context of global legal developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both experiences have inspired me to grow \u2014 not only as a researcher, but also as a communicator and an engaged member of the academic community. I\u2019ve learned that making an impact isn\u2019t about being perfect; it\u2019s about showing up, being open to learning, and having the courage to share your thoughts. Often, that first step is all it takes to start something meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Happy Youth Day! \u4e94\u56db\u9752\u5e74\u8282\u5feb\u4e50 (W\u01d4s\u00ec Q\u012bngni\u00e1nji\u00e9 ku\u00e0il\u00e8)!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/05\/May-the-4th-be-with-you.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In her first episode, Liu Ningning introduced her life with dance at Queen&#8217;s. In the second half, she continues to share with us how she has done so far to build up confidence in academic growth. For more information on &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/2025\/05\/04\/between-books-and-beats-my-life-at-queens-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[275,161,38,325,42],"tags":[246,122,266,290,45],"class_list":["post-5549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-education","category-festival","category-society","category-student-support","tag-competition","tag-lovequb","tag-may-4th","tag-student-experience","tag-youth-day"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa93ff-1rv","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5549"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5563,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5549\/revisions\/5563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/mandarinchinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}