About Us

This website on “Exploring Chinese Art and Culture in Scotland” is supported by the Summer Teams Enterprise Programme (STEP) of the University of St Andrews. It is voluntarily created by a group of undergraduate students who take an interest in Chinese art and culture and aspire to spread vision and passion to a wider community. As signified in our logo of thistle—Scotland’s national emblem—in the style of Chinese papercutting, we aim to raise awareness of China’s artistic footprints in Scotland and encourage new dialogues on cross-cultural exchanges.

The website provides information about where to explore, see and experience things related to Chinese art and culture in Scotland. It features collections, exhibitions, artists, research outputs and events, highlighting objects, activities and writings of Chinese art, artefacts and Chinese-inspired artworks in different Scottish regions. We also introduce research networks and cultural communities, while promoting the art of the Chinese diaspora.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the individuals who have contributed to the realisation of this project, including the artists, scholars, organisations, departments and staff who kindly offered their help and support. Many thanks shall also be given to Yuding Wang who helped with the design of the website logo and other graphics. 

Special thanks go to the following individuals and units for their contributions to various aspects of the STEP project since its initial conception:

June to July 2023

Project sponsor: Dr Michelle Huang, Lecturer in Art History
Project coach: Mi Zhou, PhD candidate in Art History
Project leader: Yella (Yitong) Qiu
Members of the research team: Casey Leung, Fucong Niu, Isobel Preece 
Members of the website team: Malik Almorhiby, Louisa Lindsley, Hannah Zheng
Funding and IT support: The Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development (CEED), School of Art History, IT Services

May to July 2024

Project sponsor: Dr Michelle Huang, Lecturer in Art History
Project coach: Mi Zhou, PhD candidate in Art History
Research team leader: Ritchie Farmer
Website team leader: Gibson Liu
Members of the research team: Bella Turiano, Brynn Gordon
Members of the website team: Matt Zhang, Brynn Gordon
Funding and IT support: The Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development (CEED), School of Art History, IT Services

3 March to 20 May 2025

The website content is further enriched by Yella (Yitong) Qiu (project leader 2023) through the StARIS project entitled “Research on Sino-Scottish Cultural Exchanges from the 18th century to Now” under the supervision of Dr Michelle Huang.

Student Testimonials

How did the STEP project contribute to the development of your graduation attributes? How did this experience influence your appreciation and study of Chinese art and culture in Scotland?

"As a project leader in 2023 and a research intern in 2025, I gained valuable region-specific knowledge and team-oriented skill sets across the two years. In developing the timeline, I uncovered the potential in making direct and indirect connections between events that may initially appear unrelated or overshadowed by existing narratives. It was a great practice for a horizontal expansion of knowledge and learning about the historical context behind contemporary phenomenon. My leadership role in the project significantly strengthened my communication and decision-making skills, particularly as I took on increasing responsibilities and navigated challenges—abilities that are highly transferable across a wide range of professional contexts.”

Yella (Yitong) Qiu

Project leader and research intern

"As the project website team leader in 2023, I believe that working on both the STEP program and the website not only allowed me to develop technical skills in web design, but also significantly improved my communication abilities and leadership. Our team collaborated entirely online across different time zones, which challenged me to coordinate effectively and lead remotely. Additionally, building the project website deepened my understanding of Chinese art and culture, and gave me valuable insights into how Chinese culture is developing and evolving in Scotland.”

Hannah (Han) Zheng

Website team leader

"The STEP project developed several of my graduate attributes in valuing diversity and leadership skills. The online, collaborative nature of the project encouraged me to be a more effective team member by working towards shared objectives and maintaining regular contact with the team. STEP’s training session on leadership and volunteering as a team leader gave me an avenue to both understand and explore my own leadership attributes through practice. "As someone from Scotland, the website enhancement project opened my eyes to the multitude of collections of Chinese artefacts and art that exist around me—some of which were only mere miles away from my home. Experiencing firsthand how this project can aid the exploration of Chinese art and culture deepened my appreciation of its goals, and the meaning I derived from it as a participant."

Ritchie Farmer

Research team leader

"The STEP project pushed me to grow, especially when it came to teamwork and leadership. It was not always easy—our team was spread across different time zones, which made coordinating a bit tricky. But that challenge taught me a lot about what it takes to collaborate effectively when everyone was working from different corners of the world. Getting to see those Chinese art objects really opened my eyes. Even the brief descriptions next to them made it clear just how much research and effort scholars put into their work. What surprised me most, though, was just how many museums across Scotland have Chinese objects on display. That really sparked my curiosity and made me want to dig deeper into their stories and cultural meaning."

Gibson Liu

Website team leader