About Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding Podcast
Discussions on contemporary Chinese culture and society.
SACU has been building understanding and friendship between British and Chinese people for over sixty years.
Contact us at podcast@sacu.org.uk
Join us at www.sacu.org
In the final episode of our series on Chinese literature, we are joined by Professor Moss Roberts, translator of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, to learn about the book's creation and role in Chinese society.
You can find Professor Roberts's homepage here: https://wp.nyu.edu/mossroberts/publications/
You can find his more recent writing with the Appia Institute here: https://www.appiainstitute.org/profile/robert-moss/
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org
The cover image is was created by the producer and shows the character 滚 which we discuss in the episode.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
4 Aug 2026
The Chinese Classics
In this episode, I am joined by Peter Xiao, a PhD student at University College London, to learn about the Confucian Classics, and the impact they have had on China for two thousand years.
Connect with Peter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ruiheng-xiao-1ab19410a/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ruiheng-xiao-1ab19410a/)
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org
The cover image is was created by the producer based on a public domain image.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
23 Jul 2026
Dream of the Red Chamber in Modern China
Dream of the Red Chamber is often identified as China's greatest novel. Cao Xueqin's masterpiece can be compared to the works of Shakespeare in its impact on Chinese culture.
Yet Dream of the Red Chamber - its characters, text and story - continue be be reimagined and reinterpreted today. To learn how Chinese readers and writers are exploring this work through fan fiction, and what that tells us about the hopes and desires of young Chinese women, I am joined by Grace Songyan Li, whose PhD thesis focused on this topic: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/the-reflection-in-water-dream-of-the-red-chamber-and-its-resonanc/
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org
The cover image is an original modification based on an image of Shi Xiangyun from an 1832 edition of Dream of the Red Chamber.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
9 Jul 2026
Classical Chinese Poetry, with Jonathan Stalling
In this episode, I am joined by Professor Jonathan Stalling who tells the story of Chinese poetry: why was it so important to Classical Chinese civilisation? What does Chinese poetry sound like? How does it work? And how can you write it in English?
To learn more about Classical Chinese poetry (and to learn to write your own), visit: https://www.juejupath.com/
The poets mentioned in this episode are;
Bei Dao: https://www.amazon.com/August-Sleepwalker-Beidao/dp/0811211320
Zheng Xiaoqiong: https://www.amazon.com/Roar-Machine-Zheng-Xiaoqiong/dp/1681379384
Shi Zhi: https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Sun-Poems-Chinese-Literature-ebook/dp/B0079ZWIW2
More examples of Chinese-style poetry in English can be found here: https://ohiojueju.com/
You can find Jonathan's journal here: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/mcsp21
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, visit our website: www.sacu.org (http://www.sacu.org)
Cover image provided by Jonathan Stalling.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0).
25 Jun 2026
Contemporary Chinese Dance: Live, with Farooq Chaudhry
This special episode was recorded live at the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding AGM in June 2026. We were joined by Farooq Chaudhry OBE, who has led dance exchange between Britain and China for twenty years. We learn about the Chinese contemporary dance scene, and the challenges and opportunities of working in the arts industry between China and the United Kingdom.
You can find out more about Farooq’s work and Fengling Productions here: https://www.fenglingproductions.com/
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, visit our website: www.sacu.org (http://www.sacu.org)
The cover image was taken by Shi Muyang.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
11 Jun 2026
Translating Chinese Literature
In the second episode of our series on Chinese literature, I speak to Nicky Harman about the process of translating Chinese literature into English.
You can find Nicky’s profile on the Paper Republic website here: https://paper-republic.org/pers/nicky-harman/
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.ukY
To find out more about the Society, visit our website: www.sacu.org
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
28 May 2026
Chinese Online Literature
In the first episode of our series on Chinese literature, Andrew Rule explains the wild world of Chinese Internet Fiction. This might be the biggest literary format in the world today, but it is barely known in the West. Andrew reveals the reasons for its popularity in China, its relative obscurity in the English-speaking world, the commercial pressures on writers, and the romance between China's greatest heroine and Lord Voldemort.
You can find Andrew Rule’s Substack here: https://coldwindow.substack.com/ (https://coldwindow.substack.com/)
Check out his guide to internet literature here: https://coldwindow.substack.com/p/the-cold-window-guide-to-chinese
You can also learn about Andrew’s translation work here: https://paper-republic.org/pers/andrew-rule/ (https://paper-republic.org/pers/andrew-rule/)
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit our website: www.sacu.org
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
8 Apr 2026
Qipao: An Icon
In the last episode of our series on Chinese fashion, we learn about the qipao, also called the cheongsam.
A true classic of modern fashion, the qipao emerged in the early Republic of China, and has a long and contested history. Listen to find out about this story, and what young Chinese women think about the cheongsam today.
I spoke to Sue of Zhisu London (https://zslondon.sumupstore.com/) (find her on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/zhisulondon/)) and Hatina of Monsoon Atelier in Hong Kong (https://www.instagram.com/monsoon_hk/) about the qipaos they make, and why it matters to them.
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org
The cover image is provided by Zhou Qinsu and is used here with her permission.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
24 Mar 2026
Craft, Clothes, and People
In the fourth episode of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding Podcast, we are joined by Yiran Duan, the founder and director of Yi Crafts, to learn about the clothing and crafts of China’s Bai People. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_people)
You can find out more about Yiran and her work here (https://yicrafts.com/).
You can see a picture of the "rabbit ears" here (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ya3CWof64bX2B7AhFAMgiYKf4FgaYJW-/view?usp=sharing)
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org
The cover image belongs to Yiran Duan and is used here with her permission.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (CC BY-SA 4.0)
11 Mar 2026
The Costumes of Chinese Theatre
In the third episode of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding Podcast, we are joined by Ting Huang of Central Saint Martins, to learn about the costumes of traditional Chinese opera.
You can find out more about Ting Huang and her work here. (https://tinghuang.cargo.site/)
The two theatre companies mentioned by Ting are Tao Dance Theatre (http://www.taodancetheater.com/) and Cloud Gate Theatre (https://www.cloudgate.org.tw/en/cg).
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk (mailto:podcast@sacu.org)
To find out more about the Society, visit out website: www.sacu.org (http://www.sacu.org/)
The cover image belongs to 陈文, (https://www.flickr.com/photos/univers-finder/20452026814/) used here under creative commons licence (CC BY 2.0)
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 19 (Frederic Chopin), by Gregor Quendel/classics.de (http://classics.de/) (CC BY-SA 4.0)
20 Feb 2026
Hanfu: a Movement
In the second episode of our mini-series on Chinese clothing, we learn about Hanfu, the fashion style and movement which has revived traditional Chinese outfits in the twenty-first century. We are joined by Dr Andrew Law and Qin Qianqian from the University of Newcastle.
The study referred to in this conversation is available here (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/18681026221135082). You can find out more about Andrew's work here (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/apl/people/profile/andrewlaw.html), and about Qianqian's work here (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/apl/people/profile/qianqianqin1.html).
To find out more about the Society, visit our website: www.sacu.org
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
The cover image is the producer's own.
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 18 (Frédéric Chopin) by Gregor Quendel / classicals.de (CC BY-SA 4.0).
6 Feb 2026
Shanghai Fashion and the New Chinese Style
In the first episode of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding Podcast, we learn about contemporary Chinese fashion, in particular the New Chinese Style, sometimes referred to as the Neo-Chinese Style. We are joined by Liu Yansong, a Shanghai-based designer from the independent label AOYES.
To find out more about the Society, visit our website: www.sacu.org (http://www.sacu.org)
You can find out more about AOYES here: www.ao-yes.com (http://www.ao-yes.com)
The Labelhood event at Harrods which I mentioned runs until 17th of February; details here: www.instagram.com/p/DUQKvkokXo1 (www.instagram.com/p/DUQKvkokXo1)
Contact me with feedback and suggestions at podcast@sacu.org.uk
Intro/outro music: Grande Valse Brillante, Op. 18 (Frédéric Chopin) by Gregor Quendel / classicals.de (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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