Annie originally trained as a classical Chinese dancer from the age of ten before moving on to train in contemporary ballet. She subsequently attended Beijing Dance Academy and graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre Performance.
She first came to Goldsmiths in 2004 to study for her MA as a producer in musical theatre. In 2008 she completed a course in Business Financial Forecasting and Marketing at the London Business Study Centre.
Her vision is to create a bridge between Eastern and Western culture, especially between China and the UK, particularly looking at the cross-cultural exchange of education, performing arts, history, customs and other social and cultural aspects.
Producer
As a producer, Annie has worked on numerous large-scale productions in both China and the UK, including roles as the Executive Producer / Artistic Director for the Cultures of China Festival of Spring. She has also worked with Cameron Mackintosh on the Chinese version of Les Miserables, acted as Associate Producer for Jeff Wayne’s The War of The Worlds and been Producer / Director of Qing Shan, a cross-cultural project in collaboration with the Arts Council.
Performer
Annie played the lead in both Tale of the White Snake and Legend of Yang GuiFei.
Writer
Previous works include Double Life, a musical about materialism, moral standards and social pressures for the new Chinese generation; Angling City, a musical adaptation of a little-known historical legend; Hey Youth, and The Graduate, which won the first prize at the Chinese National University Arts Festival and the Best Show prize at the University Performance Competition in Sichan Province, China.
Lecturer
Annie lectures on musical theatre at both BA and MA in Goldsmiths as well as giving talks and workshops at a wide range of institutions and organisations, including the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts; Chongqing University in China; Twenty First Century Performing Arts Centre; Beijing Oriental Song Lei Musical Development Company; ISTD’s (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) Theatre Congress Showcase.
Li Ran graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and holds a Master of Arts degree in Chinese Folk Dance.
She has been engaged in administrative management and academic research at Beijing Dance Academy for 11 years, with her research focus on Chinese folk dance, dance education, dance training, and the promotion of aesthetic education. She once served as the Honorary Principal of the Honglian Campus for the "University Participation in Primary School Aesthetic Education Development" program in Beijing.
Dr. Frances Yiying Zhang is a scholar, teacher educator, and departmental academia convenor at Goldsmiths. She holds a Master’s degree from the Education University of Hong Kong.
With a wealth of experience, she has previously devoted six years to teaching Chinese language and literature in Hong Kong schools and achieved the award of Hong Kong Top Excellent Teachers in 2019.
She further enriched her educational background with a PhD in Education from the University of Exeter, with a special focus on language teacher education.
With a profound interest in teacher education, Chinese applied linguistics, second language teaching, and Chinese studies, Dr. Zhang’s research endeavours contribute to the advancement of these fields.
Teaching
Mandarin Chinese
Contemporary Chinese issues
Chinese Philosophy-Confucianism and Taoism
Chinese Philosophy-Legalism, Mohism and Buddhism
Chinese Culture and Arts of Contemporary China
History of Contemporary China
Exploring Higher Education and Cultural Diversification
Thinking Higher Education and Cultural Transcendence
Yiyang Xue is a postgraduate dance teacher from Beijing Dance Academy. He possesses a diverse educational background, with particular theoretical and practical experience in cross-cultural dance studies.
He aims to showcase traditional Chinese culture through richer artistic forms and strives to integrate culturally distinct elements—such as Chinese classical dance, traditional folk dance, Tai Chi, and calligraphy—with modern dance.
Additionally, he has participated in multiple cultural and artistic exchanges in countries such as Thailand, Egypt, and Spain. He warmly welcomes opportunities for collaboration and mutual learning with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Zitong Huang is a dance artist, actress, and researcher currently studying at the University of Cambridge.
With a multidisciplinary background spanning dance, theatre, and performance studies, Zitong has performed as a lead actress in films and stage productions, including works broadcast on CCTV and pieces created by renowned director Yang Liping.
Her artistic research explores cross-cultural dance innovation, participatory theatre, and digital media in performance. She has directed and performed internationally, with projects showcased across the UK, China, and Southeast Asia. As an award-winning artist and educator, she integrates tradition with contemporary expression in both movement and storytelling.
Shiying Huang is a dance teacher, producer, and dance video creator. She holds a master's degree from Beijing Dance Academy, with her research focusing on dance management, dance performance production.
She excels at conducting dance teaching in an engaging and educational manner, and is committed to the promotion and dissemination of Chinese dance. Currently, she teaches courses on Chinese charm classical dance.
Kuang Siyin is from Beijing Dance Academy, majoring in the study of dance history and culture. She has participated in many international dance events and is interested in cross-cultural communication in dance.
For instance, Siyin have participated in the World Dance Education Alliance (WDEA) organized by the Beijing Dance Academy and have been engaged in the interpretation work of the dance museum at the Beijing Dance Academy for a long time, explaining the history and culture of Chinese dance to many international art scholars.
She is skilled in teaching Chinese ethnic and folk dances. She hopes to present Chinese dance to British audiences and realize the vitality and beauty of Chinese dance art on the stage.
Lu Lyu is a dance teacher with a rich body of experience in teaching. She currently teaches our Chinese charm classical dance.
She majored in danceology and graduated from the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
She is an undergraduate dance teacher with the department, seconded from Qiong Tai Normal University in Hainan. Her research areas include dance history and dance criticism.
Yuxuan is a Mandarin teacher with the department on secondment from Sichuan University (SCU) in Chengdu.
Majored in TCSOL, Yuxuan gained a wealth of teaching experience of Chinese language and culture. She also mastered different scripts of Shufa (Chinese calligraphy), including Zhuanshu (seal script), Lishu (clerical script), and Kaishu (standard script).
In addition to language teaching and research, Yuxuan taught calligraphy for BA students at School of Overseas Education, Sichuan University.
Dr Junhong Li is an associate professor from Capital Normal University. She graduated from Beijing Normal University with a major in Chinese Character Studies.
She has won the honorary title of "Outstanding Lecturer" at Capital Normal University on multiple occasions and delivered lectures or trained local Chinese language teachers in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy, the United States and other countries.
She has published multiple works. Among these, Approaching Chinese Characters won the First Prize of Excellent Teaching Materials in the 3rd China University Press Book Award.
She is on secondment from North University of China in Taiyuan, where she was awarded as a college-level demonstration lecturer in 2025. She mainly researches on multimodality in TEOSL and TCOSL classrooms and did her research at the School of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) from 2018 to 2019 as a visiting scholar.
Currently, she serves as our Mandarin lecturer, responsible for teaching short courses and managing the International Mandarin Proficiency Examination (HSK) Testing Centre.
Ying, our Mandarin lecturer, is responsible for teaching short courses and managing the international Mandarin proficiency examination (HSK) testing centre.
She holds a MA degree in teaching chinese as a second language from Wuhan University, China, and brings extensive teaching experience.
With her patience and expertise in linguistic language teaching, Ying has previously taught Mandarin at Kiski School Area in Pennsylvania, USA.
Zhuyi is a Mandarin teacher with the department on secondment from East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai. Majored in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL) , she brings a wealth of experience in teaching Chinese to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds, having worked as a Chinese teacher in an international school setting.
Passionate about integrating culture with language learning, she is also proficient in various Chinese traditional arts, including the practice of tea ceremony and the intricate art of printmaking. She enjoys incorporating Chinese culture into her teaching to provide students with a rich and immersive cultural experience.
Jiaqi is from Kunming University of Science and Technology, where she majors in International Chinese Education. Currently, she teaches Conversational Mandarin Chinese and Advanced Chinese.
Jiaqi is passionate about making Chinese learning engaging, and she often integrates small cultural elements into classes to help students understand not just the language, but also the stories behind it.
Tang Pingping, a graduate student at Minzu University, majored in TCSOL for both her bachelor's and master's degrees, with research focus on cross-cultural communication and exchange.
She has served as a teaching assistant for international students at the School of Education at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has the ability to conduct high-quality Chinese teaching activities and assist in teaching.
Xinyuan Qi graduated from University College London (UCL) and is a freelance dancer, producer, and choreographer.
She is proficient in HanTang Style Chinese classical dance, sword dance and contemporary dance. She is dedicated to integrating traditional dance with modern art and exploring innovative productions that incorporate interdisciplinary approaches.
Chunqi Wu is graduate of Beijing Dance Academy, holding a Bachelor's degree in Dance Education. My training is deeply rooted in Chinese ethnic and folk dances, as well as classical Chinese dance, and I have achieved notable success in various competitions.
Currently, I specialise in teaching the essence of Classical Chinese Dance, including its inner rhythm and Water Sleeve technique, alongside Chinese Ethnic and Folk dances. I am dedicated to guiding students in mastering these art forms and connecting them with this rich cultural heritage.
Li Ximan is has a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance Performance with a focus in Ballet from Beijing Dance Academy and was a Ballet Major at the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated Secondary School.
Ximan has participated in numerous large-scale performances, including Ballet Masterpieces directed by Professor Vladimir Malakhov at Beijing Dance Academy, A Century of Dance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Dancing for the People: a Beijing Dance Academy showcase and Youthful Elegance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
She has also participated in international exchange programs at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in Osaka, Japan. Currently, Ximan is responsible for teaching ballet courses, leading artistic workshops, and organizing large-scale cultural performances. By bringing Chinese ballet to British audiences, she aims to create a dynamic fusion of Eastern and Western artistic traditions on stage.
Dr Jin Xie is an is an assistant professor from Taizhou University. She obtained a PhD from Beijing Sports University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Georgia.
Jin Xie has been teaching martial arts course for international students in Taizhou University since 2008. She was awarded the title of Outstanding Teacher and Advanced Teacher. Jin Xie currently works as an Martial Arts teacher at Goldsmiths Confucius Institute. She lectures in traditional Chinese Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Qigong.
She is on secondment from North University of China in Taiyuan, where she was awarded as a college-level demonstration lecturer in 2025. She mainly researches on multimodality in TEOSL and TCOSL classrooms and did her research at the School of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) from 2018 to 2019 as a visiting scholar.
Currently, she serves as our Mandarin lecturer, responsible for teaching short courses and managing the International Mandarin Proficiency Examination (HSK) Testing Centre.
Zihan is a Mandarin teacher with the department on secondment from Communication University of China (CUC),majored in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL).
In her teaching, she emphasizes cultural comparison between China and UK, integrating contemporary topics from modern China to make learning both relevant and engaging.
She is also skilled in traditional Chinese arts such as paper cutting, calligraphy, and tea ceremony, which she incorporates into her classes to enrich students’ understanding of Chinese language and culture.
