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.
Dr Mingyu Huang is an assistant professor from Beijing Dance Academy. Combining her work and study background, she is dedicated to the study of arts students, especially their learning characteristics and second language development.
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
Dr Siyu Ma graduated from Beijing Normal University in 2012 and obtained a PhD in literature, with a primary research focus on Chinese as a second language teaching.
Siyu is on secondment from Capital Normal University (CNU) in Beijing. During his time at Goldsmiths, he lectures on undergraduate and credit course modules. He also teaches on our Mandarin short courses.
Whilst at CNU, Siyu Ma lectures in Mandarin, Chinese linguistics, and TCSOL at both BA and MA levels as well as giving talks and workshops for overseas Mandarin teachers. He was awarded the title of Outstanding Teacher in 2016 and 2017.
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.
Xinyuan is a postgraduate dance teacher from Beijing Dance Academy dedicated to sharing the beauty and cultural richness of traditional Chinese dance with all ages and backgrounds.
Qiao Liao is an experienced Mandarin lecturer. She is passionate about delivering a quality classroom experience with innovative and creative lessons.
Qiao is a qualified Mandarin lecturer who earned her Master's in Chinese International Teaching. With experience in teaching across diverse learning levels, she has worked in New Zealand, China, and the United Kingdom.
Qiao specialises in cross-cultural studies and excels in showcasing Chinese culture within the realm of education.
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.
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.
Zihan Huang graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, majoring in Dance Study, with a concentration in Choreography Theory.
She was the artistic director of the dance festival of Peking University High School, where her students won second prize for choreography. She was also the dance director of the Elderly University of the University of International Relations (UIR) and a judge at the competition of the top ten dancers of the UIR. As assistant director of the National Grand Theater, she supported the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and the Ballet of the National Opera of Bordeaux and ensured the successful performances of many productions, including Bolero, Nymphs, and Don Quixote.
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.
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.
Alex Tai Shan Hall has over fifteen years of experience teaching various aspects of Chinese martial arts and philosophies, especially Tai Chi, Qigong and Kung Fu.
As part of this, he taught a Tai Chi and Martial Arts in Taoism class on the SOAS University Taoism course. His academic writing focuses on the philosophical and artistic aspects of Chinese culture, history and language. Alex is also qualified in Fitness Instruction to Diploma Level 2.
