The University of Manchester has been appointed as the UK-based Coordinating Team for the UK China Humanities Alliance for Higher Education (UKCHA), a unique forum of ten British and seven Chinese universities with outstanding reputations in the Arts and Humanities.
The Secretariat is housed at the Institute for World Literatures and Cultures (IWLC), Tsinghua University where the Dean of IWLC, Prof YAN Haiping, serves as the Director of the Executive Council and the Secretary-General and Prof YANG Bin, Vice President of Tsinghua University, serves as the Chair of the Alliance. The University of Manchester will coordinate UK-based activities and work closely with the British Council to support UK-China Humanities collaborations.
The announcement was made at the UKCHA Executive Council on 7 December 2025. The President of the UKCHA, Professor Yang Bin welcomed the University of Manchester as the new UK-based Coordinating Team, following a recommendation from Deputy Director, Professor Wong Suk Ying (Chinese University of Hong Kong) and the endorsement of Professor Yan Haiping.
She added: "Separate from the UKCHA, the University of Manchester has research partnerships with Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Wuhan University and Chinese University of Hong Kong. Becoming the lead UK-based Coordinating Team reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting high quality, impactful research between world-leading Humanities academics."
Established in 2016, The UKCHA's aim is to intensify international cooperation in Humanities. This includes joint work on research and publication, staff and research exchanges, and connections with specialist arts and cultural institutions.
The announcement has been made as part of a high-level delegation from The University of Manchester to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Led by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor and including a delegation of academic and university staff, the visit is connecting with alumni, donors, partners and universities.
The visits are in conjunction with the University of Manchester China Centre and the East Asia Centre, based in Hong Kong and will also include a graduation ceremony in Shanghai and launch events for the University's fundraising and volunteering campaign, Challenge Accepted.
