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.
Zhen Li is a distinguished martial arts teacher and head coach at Chongqing Business College, renowned for his expertise as both a national-level referee and athlete.
Holding both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Southwest University, Zhen Li excels as a martial arts instructor and head coach at Chongqing Business College.
He is a celebrated national-level referee and athlete, boasting an impressive record of domestic championships. With his academic background in physical education and journalism, Zhen has also made significant contributions to sports communication research.
He is passionately committed to using martial arts as a bridge for cross-cultural exchange, having successfully led students to secure championships in youth and adult categories at the prestigious Chongqing City National Fitness Sports Meeting.
Beyond his achievements in China, Zhen has organised and participated in martial arts performances across the UK and Denmark, demonstrating his dedication to promoting the art form on an international scale.
Rongrong Gao is a professional dancer and Chinese dance teacher. She specialises in Chinese prop dances and technical movements, including fans, water sleeves and ribbons.
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.
Ziyu graduated from the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, majoring in Chinese international education.
Ziyu has been teaching Chinese for three years, working with students from different countries. She also had the opportunity to be a Chinese teacher in Poland.
Di Zhang is responsible for mandarin classes and tea art ceremony in the short course and is good at introducing Chinese culture in class.
Di is a Mandarin teacher with a rich background in linguistic language teaching. She currently teaches Mandarin classes and tea art ceremonies for beginners.
Qin Liu, a graduate student majoring in international Chinese education at the University of International Business and Economics.
Qin is passionate about international Chinese language education. She previously served as a volunteer international Chinese teacher at the Cambodia Royal Academy of Science and Technology Confucius Institute.
With good team spirit and service awareness, she organised and participated in many cultural activities.
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.
