London events in May with a Chinese twist.
A roundup of all the best Chinese-related events in London during May. Art exhibitions, book launches, academic talks, musical performances, and more are happening this month. Read on for all the details of London May events.
Shanghai Dolls
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, they quickly become inseparable. But as political upheaval rips through China, their tumultuous friendship will alter not only the course of their lives, but the course of history. One will become China’s first female director. The other, the architect of the Cultural Revolution. Amy Ng’s newest play looks at the untold story of two of the most influential women in Chinese history – Madame Mao and Sun Weishi – and how the personal truly is political.
When: Until10th May
Where: Kiln Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Rd, NW6 7JR
Website: https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/shanghai-dolls/
Hong Kong New Wave: The Garden Cinema
The Garden Cinema present the first ever comprehensive UK season dedicated to the Hong Kong New Wave. Often mentioned, but rarely explored, the Hong Kong New Wave was an influential cinematic movement beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the 80s and 90s. Films being screened include The Butterfly Murders, Ah Ying, Homecoming, and more.
When: Until 13th May
Where: The Garden Cinema, WC2B 5PQ
Website: https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/hong-kong-new-wave-1979-1989/
A migrant community’s fight to build a new China in America
Hugo Wong will talk about his book ‘America’s Lost Chinese, the rise and fall of a migrant family dream’.
In the 1870s, two of his ancestors left China for the USA, where they witnessed anti-Chinese riots and attended America’s first missionary school for Chinese. Ten years later, they were the first to seek refuge in Mexico, a mixed-race country with a long history of exchanges with Asia, and soon 60,000 Chinese followed them. Their colony was destroyed during the Mexican revolution of 1911, leading to the largest massacre and expulsion of Chinese in American history. This story of resilience, belonging and cosmopolitism constitutes one of China’s first forays into the Global South
When: Tuesday 6th May, 17:00 – 18:30
Where: SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, WC1H 0XG
Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-migrant-communitys-fight-to-build-a-new-china-in-america-1875-1945-tickets-1336601815009?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Tiantan Award Panorama BJIFF Selected: Chinese Film Event
Step into the world of contemporary Chinese cinema with this special London screening event, presented by the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). Featuring six standout films selected from recent BJIFF editions, this unique showcase offers a rare opportunity for UK audiences to experience the richness, diversity, and creative power of Chinese storytelling on the big screen.
When: May 10th – May 17th
Where: Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road London E1 4UJ
Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tiantan-award-panorama-bjiff-selected-chinese-film-event-tickets-1330131431919?aff=ebdiglgoogleliveevents&source=ecat
Chinese and any other Asian
Performing identity: ESEA exclusion and inclusion in film, theatre & TV. Our media is a very immediate way to see our society reflected back at us – but what do we want from these spaces, and what does representation actually mean?
This talk will explore what our stories look like and address questions around agency and creativity. The panel is made up of Vera Chok, performance maker, poet, and comedian; academic Diana Yeh; and Vik Sivalingam a theatre director and academic.
When: Sunday May 11th, 10 – 12am.
Where: Spiritland King’s Cross, 9 – 10 Stable Street London N1C 4AB
Website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chinese-and-any-other-asian-sunday-salon-sunday-11th-may-10am-midday-tickets-1320875767979?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Tiangong Kaiwu: Crafting Works of Nature
This is the China Pavilion at the London Craft Week. The theme of the China is ‘Tiangong Kaiwu: Crafting Works of Nature’. The exhibition and accompanying events showcases the use of traditional Chinese crafts in a contemporary context.
The meaning of ‘Tiangong’ is the power of nature, while the meaning of ‘Kaiwu’ is the ingenuity of human wisdom. Together, ‘Tiangong’ and ‘Kaiwu’ complement each other: by combining nature’s work and human ingenuity, one can achieve beautiful craftsmanship.
When: 13th May – 18th May
Where: Royal Mint Court, EC3N 4QN
Website: https://londoncraftweek.com/events/tiangong-kaiwu-crafting-works-of-nature/
Living Spirits: Bai Craft and the Art of Nature
Also part of London Craft Week, YI CRAFTS X LIURAN are putting on an exhibition drawing on the Bai people of Dali, Yunnan’s traditional 三坊一照壁 (Three Memorial Archways and One Screen Wall) architecture, reflecting their mountain lifestyle and spiritual practices. Through embroidery, indigo textiles, traditional clothing, ceramics, Dali dreamstone, silver and woodwork, it explores how the Bai weave spirituality into nature’s essence.
When: 12th – 18th May.
Where: 4 Cromwell Place, SW7 2JE
Website: https://londoncraftweek.com/events/living-spirits-bai-craft-and-the-art-of-nature/
Foreign Fruit: Katie Goh in Conversation with Angela Hui
At Waterstones Gower St, Katie Goh, will be discussing her beautiful new hybrid memoir Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange, with Angela Hui. In this distinct, subversive and intimate hybrid memoir, Katie Goh explores the orange as a means of understanding the world, and herself within it. What she finds is a world of violence, colonialism, resilience, survival, adaptation – and of unexpected beauty and sweetness against all odds.
When: Thursday 15th May, 6:30pm
Where: Waterstones, 82 Gower Street, WC1E 6EQ
Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/foreign-fruit-katie-goh-in-conversation-with-angela-hui-gower-st-tickets-1300915747019?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Interest, Disinterest, and the Space Between
Interest, Disinterest, and the Space Between is an expansive series of programmes conceived by Weitian Liu, a PhD Scholar in ‘Advanced Practices’ at Goldsmiths, University of London. The series probes the friction between interest and disinterest through the lens of contemporary Chinese art.
This event will hold a screening of Part I of artist Li Mu’s four-part documentary, Qiuzhuang Log (2015), a conversation between Weitian and Jingsi Wang, and a display of archival materials behind the Qiuzhuang Project.
When: Saturday May 17th, 2:00 – 4:00pm
Where: Asymmetry, 102a, Albion Drive London E8 4LY
Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interest-disinterest-and-the-space-between-screening-tickets-1323456025599?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
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