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There are currently 71 Profiles and growing.
Most recent update: 21 July, 2008.
Visible Chinese is a guide to individuals at the forefront of the UK's Chinese Culture.
Profiled individuals are included simply because they have contributed to the UK's Chinese Culture.
Visible Chinese aims to become an Authoritative Independent Listing of Achievers within the UK's Chinese Culture.
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Profiled individuals are included simply because they have contributed to the UK's Chinese Culture.
Visible Chinese aims to become an Authoritative Independent Listing of Achievers within the UK's Chinese Culture.
Read more...
David Tan
Chinese Liaison Officer (Westminster Council)
Community. Culture. Education.
David Tan is Westminster Council’s Chinese Liaison Officer and has been working with the council and the community in Chinatown and elsewhere in Westminster since 1990.
In the 1980s, whilst teaching in a secondary school, David Tan became involved with youth and community developments, and spearheaded various projects. Furthering the educational needs of the Chinese community is something that he is especially passionate about.
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Siu Fan Lee
Sociologist and TeacherEducation. Media.
Originally from Hong Kong, sociologist and teacher Siu Fan Lee came to the UK to do postgraduate studies and is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy at the University of London.
Siu Fan Lee recruited, trained and galvanised a team of 16-25 year old volunteers to act as interviewers and helpers, to put into action the Whispers of Time project. Whispers of Time is a 90 minute-long DVD launched in April this year.
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Cheng Yu
MusicianEducation. Music.
Cheng Yu is an internationally renowned pipa and guqin virtuoso, scholar and specialist in Chinese music. She holds degrees in Chinese music from the Xi’an Conservatory of Music, China (BMus.) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London (MMus, PhD). She performs, records and researches both traditional and contemporary Chinese music, and does cross-cultural music collaborations. She is the founder of the UK Chinese Music Ensemble and London Youlan Qin Society and currently teaches the pipa and guqin at SOAS.
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Qu Lei Lei
Artist and CalligrapherArts.
Artist and calligrapher Qu Lei Lei as born in Heilongjiang in 1951 and arrived in London at the age of thirty four to study painting and drawing at the Central School of Art and Design. In 1979 he was a founding member of the Stars Art Movement, the influential group of Chinese artists who fought for greater freedom of expression within the arts after the Cultural Revolution. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Qu Lei Lei worked for CCTV. He has become well-known as a tutor/lecturer in Chinese art, calligraphy and taiqi and is currently the Honorary President of the Chinese Brush Painters Society.
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David Tse Ka-Shing
Artistic DirectorArts. Culture. Education. Entertainment. Film, TV & Radio. Theatre.
David read Law at Southampton University (1983-86) before training at Rose Bruford College (1986-89) as an actor. In 1996, he was the first British Chinese to receive an Arts Council bursary to train as a director at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre. He has worked extensively as an actor and writer, and became Artistic Director of Yellow Earth Theatre in 1995 where he has directed for twelve years.
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Hong Y Soo
FootballerSports.
Hong Y ‘Frank’ Soo can be seen as the first non-white man to play for England, representing them in unofficial Internationals during World War II. ‘Frank’ Soo became the first player of Chinese origin to play in the Football league. Playing for Stoke City from 1933 to 1945, Soo would probably have played at international level for England had World War II not intervened.
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Wing Yip
EntrepreneurBusiness. Charities. Cuisine.
Mr Wing Yip is not only the owner of the hugely successful Wing Yip chain of supermarkets, but also a founder of W Wing Yip and Brothers Charitable Trust. Through this charity, donations are made to a range of charities at both local and national levels, including the Prince’s Trust and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Bursaries are also provided to finance the education of the children of Wing Yip employees.
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Wang Haijun
Taiji Competitor and InstructorCulture. Sports.
Wang Haijun had an impressive record as a Taiji competitor, having won gold medals three times in the Chinese National Martial Arts competition. He is also a grade one coach, having gained his qualification in the Wuhan Sports Academy in China. Since coming to the UK he has worked tirelessly to increase the standard of Taiji practice in this country and he is currently mentoring groups throughout the UK, Ireland and the USA.
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Kwong Loke
ActorArts. Culture. Theatre.
It was a hot, sultry day; the 9th day of the Ninth Moon - the Festival of the Ninth God, incense smoke mingled with roasted meat, temple prayers with the deep resonance of brass gongs; I was five or six, my hand in my grandmother's. The sound of 'cheng, cheng, cheng-cheng' beating out from the stage orchestra; the beautifully painted faces with their glinting costume, high head-dress shimmering with red and gold ; singing that sounded like nothing I had heard before; these other-worldly creatures floating around on that raised area; my eyes transfixed, my fascination transported me into their world of colour, sounds and story from another time and another place - "What is going on?"
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Veronica Needa
ActressArts. Culture. Education. Theatre.
Veronica Needa was born and grew up in Hong Kong of Eurasian parents (England, Hong Kong, Japan, and Syria) and is bilingual - English/Cantonese. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (1983-5) and is a graduate of the School of Playback Theatre (NY, USA). Now based in London, she has wide-ranging experience in the performing arts as performer, producer and teacher, with a particular commitment to community theatre & cross-cultural bridging; and maintains close professional and personal links to Asia.
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