I am delighted to announce the publication of the first Wellington Mandarin magazine, a copy of which you will soon be receiving.  This is a collaboration between the two Wellington Colleges based in China and Wellington UK and the staff and students who attend them.  This first edition is a beautiful volume, showcasing the great work that we do.  In it you will find articles and essays written by the children themselves, along with artwork and photographs taken throughout the last academic year.  With so much to celebrate in our Mandarin departments, it is no surprise that this magazine is jam-packed with amazing things.

I would like to thank all the contributors (who are too numerous to name here) for helping to make this magazine so special.  Without their hard work and enthusiasm, it would not have been possible.  We aim to produce an annual edition, and I am already thinking about the next one.  As such, I warmly welcome suggestions or contributions for edition number two!

Moving ever forwards, we already need an update to the information in the magazine.  This year, the Shanghai department is increasing in size, with four new staff joining us to make our teaching team thirteen-strong.  This allows us to further focus our teaching on student needs and, for the first time, to offer a Chinese Cultural Studies course for selected first-language students.  It will be an exciting year, and plans are already well under way for our third Chinese New Year celebration event.  We have already set a high benchmark with the first two, but I am confident that this year’s will outshine them.

Helena Hicks
Director of Chinese Studies (Mandarin)