Christopher Hum was the British Ambassador to the People's Republic of China between 2002 and 2005. A graduate from Pembroke College, Cambridge, he joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1967. Having studied Mandarin Chinese at the University of Hong Kong, 18 years of his career were spent working in or on China. In particular, Christopher was closely involved in the negotiations of the return of Hong Kong to China in the 1980s and 1990s. His other diplomatic postings included the European Communities in Brussels, Paris, the United Nations in New York and Warsaw (as Ambassador from 1996 to 1998).
From 2006 to 2012, Christopher Hum was Master of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, where he remains a Life Fellow. He is a Vice-Chairman of the Great Britain-China Centre and a member of the Advisory Committee of the China Policy Institute in the University of Nottingham.
Roel Sterckx is the Joseph Needham professor of Chinese History, Science and Civilization at the University of Cambridge. He is a sinologist and anthropologist who specialises in the cultural history, thought and religion of pre-imperial and imperial China. He has written or edited seven books, including Ways of Heaven : an introduction to Chinese Thought (2019); Chinese Thought: from Confucius to Cook Ding (2019) and Animals through Chinese History (2018). He is a fellow at Clare College and was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2013.
Danny is a fourth-year undergraduate studying Chinese at St Catharine’s college. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, he has been fascinated with observing global change instigated by China and the ways in which Chinese entrepreneurship is shaping todays world. He also enjoys Chinese literature and philosophy.
Elodie is a second year undergraduate at Girton college reading Chinese. It was through studying the language that Elodie first became interested in Chinese history and culture. In particular, she enjoys looking at the interconnected relationship between history and the present. Having just spent the summer in Taiwan to practise her mandarin, she is very much looking forward to broadening her understanding of China in her second year at Cambridge.
Sam is a 4th year student of Chinese at St. John’s. He is passionate about China, with particular interest in Chinese history, politics, philosophy, and geopolitics. He is looking forward to working with the CUCF this year and helping expand the understanding of China and China-related topics in Cambridge. Sam is responsible for our WeChat presence, which is helpful for increasing our reach among Chinese students and scholars.
Romano is a fourth-year undergraduate studying Chinese at Robinson College. An Italian and American citizen raised in Switzerland, he has had a long-standing interest in East Asia and, more specifically, Chinese socio-economics, sports, and technology. A trip to China in 2018 fueled his passion for the language, culture, and food. He is excited to share his enthusiasm for China with everyone.
Millie is a second year undergraduate at Homerton College studying Chinese. Growing up in a multilingual environment in Geneva, Switzerland, she developed an interest in languages from an early age. She is an avid reader of Chinese history, with a particular focus on the development of language, thought and gender roles. Through CUCF she hopes to share and expand her interests with others fascinated by the past and present of Chinese civilization.
Ike has now graduated, reading Natural Sciences at Clare College. Born in Jiangsu and raised in New York, he is particularly interested in US-China relations and their geopolitical consequences. Having worked at Sino-British Summit, he hopes to bring his multinational perspective to CUCF. In his free time, he enjoys stargazing along the Cam and eating Belgian waffles.
James is a second-year undergraduate at St Catharine’s College studying History and Politics. In his first year at Cambridge, he studied the intermediate pathway of Chinese Studies. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, James is particularly interested in Australia-China relations and even more so given China’s failed campaign of economic coercion against Australia. He is also interested in China’s relations with its Indo-Pacific neighbours, modern Chinese history and comparative politics.
Kristina is a third year undergraduate reading Chinese at Trinity College. Born in Vienna, Austria but growing up in various countries around Europe, meant that her love for languages and cultures was fostered in a multilingual environment. She is most interested in China from a sociopolitical standpoint, particularly focused on the manner in which China has brought about global change. She is also particularly fascinated by Classical Chinese literature and the way cultural norms have grown and changed through history.
Morrison has now graduated from Robinson College studying Chinese. He is passionate about the Belt and Road Initiative but also enjoys studying Chinese history. From his time working at the China Britain Business Council and experience on a number of other committees Morrison can help organise some high class events. He is committed to making CUCF events accessible to all students at the University who share his interest in China’s role in the 21st century.
Dan is a Second Year undergraduate at St Catharine’s College, reading Theology, Religion and the Philosophy of Religions. He has previously lived in Hong Kong and takes a keen interest in the culture, politics and literature of the region. Interreligious dialogue in China is a particular focus for Dan, and he is excited to join one of the most diverse discursive platforms in Cambridge.
Charles is a fourth-year undergraduate studying Chinese at Churchill College. Born and raised in Paris, he started developing very early on an interest in Chinese culture, and more specifically Chinese language. Over the years, he broadened his interest in China at large, and strives to learn how European countries should interact with China, politically, economically, and culturally.
Francois has now graduated, reading Philosophy & Psychology at Pembroke College. While growing up in Shanghai, he developed a strong interest for the city’s history and its increasingly important role in the world economy. His main areas of interest revolve around cognitive science, entrepreneurship and technologies. Francois is also passionate about Chinese contemporary art and cinema.
WE ARE RECRUITING FOR POSITIONS ON OUR COMITTEE!
Sponsorships Committee: we are looking for two students to join our sponsorships committee. Your aim is to find sponsors for the society so that we can continue to organise bigger and better events. Members of the Sponsorships Committee report to the Treasurer.
Communications Committee: we are looking for one more person to join our Communications Committee to assist the Communications Officer with publicising our events. You will have responsibility for the image of the whole society. We are hoping to improve our presence on WeChat and Line so if you have experience on either of these platforms it is even better. We also hope to update our website this year which was made using WordPress.
Speakers Committee: finally, we are looking for two more people to join our Speakers Committee. Your responsibility will be to find speakers and locations for our events. You will report to the Speakers Officer.
N.B. After serving the society in any capacity you will have the opportunity to move up into more senior positions in the society!
If you are interested in applying for any of these roles, please send your CV and a brief explanation of why you want to join and why you would be a good fit, no longer than 300 words, to camchinacontact@gmail.com. Usually there is very high demand for the roles. We will endeavour to respond to everyone and will invite selected applicants for interviews. Thank you to those of you who have already applied. Once we have processed the responses to this email, we will also get back to you re arranging an interview or not.
