King's College London

How can universities better support Chinese students navigating political polarisation and rising geopolitical anxieties in the UK? Professor Astrid Nordin and Dr Yanran Yao are leading a co-creation initiative aimed at supporting Chinese students through community-led, arts-based workshops.

In collaboration with four London-based Chinese diaspora organisations—including Queer China UK—they hosted six workshops from February to May 2025, including calligraphy, zine-making, feminist stand-up comedy, and reading clubs. These sessions engaged over 100 students from King’s and other universities, offering space to reflect on identity and belonging through storytelling, filmmaking, and other forms of creative expression.

On 12 May, Astrid and Yanran convened a roundtable with 22 participants from student communities, NGOs, and King’s staff to identify shared challenges facing Chinese students and develop practical strategies for future collaboration. Initially supported by a Faculty Research and Impact Fund and a Global Institutes Research Fund, the project has since grown in both scope and impact. With additional funding from the Impact Acceleration Account of the Economic and Social Research Council, and a UK Research Institutes Polarities Fellowship, the team will extend the pilot into the next academic year, with the aim of further embedding co-creative practices within university structures.

Professor Nordin and Dr Yao are actively seeking external community partners to join and support Chinese students – and the wider community – in London.

If you are interested, please contact them at supportChinesediasporas@kcl.ac.uk.