My name is Will and I am from the southern seaside town of Brighton in the UK. I have the privilege of joining the 11th cohort Yenching Scholars specialising in Politics and International Relations.
This will be my first time studying in China – the next chapter in a journey that actually started a decade ago in 2015, when I began teaching myself Mandarin at secondary school. In the intervening years, my interest in China has evolved through different areas – from Chinese history to China’s modern industrial ecosystem – as well as through different mediums of engagement – from academia (studying Mandarin at the University of Cambridge) to professional work (in my role as a Sales Manager at international business development firm, Intralink).
What’s kept driving me towards the goal of coming to live and study in China is the deep desire to bring more nuance to global discourses regarding China’s development and global governance role. From a UK perspective, I gain particular motivation from the optimism I have regarding the role that UK-China collaboration can play in solving global issues, such as climate change and AI governance. My overarching goal at Yenching will be to take my experience and knowledge to the next level by spending time on the ground in China and using my Mandarin, and building greater credibility to hopefully play a more active role in the UK and China’s historically important – and ever dynamic – bilateral.
On a more personal note, my interest in China Studies began in an artistic form; reading Richard Kraus’ 'Brushes with Power' (which explores the relationship between politics and the art of writing in China) and owning several books on Chinese photography, including ‘Chinese Album’ by my distant relative Cecil Beaton and ‘China, 1948–1949, 1958’ by Henri Cartier-Bresson. And while my interests have moved on, and my motivation for joining Yenching, nothing to do with photography, I’ve packed my digital and film cameras with the aim of capturing my own journey and sharing this with others, maybe even through a mini-exhibition!
This is my first time in Beijing, and – in parallel to Yenching – I am incredibly excited to explore the city’s cultural scene, discover hidden gems for eating, and use the Beijing as a launchpad for visiting nearby cities and regions. A personal goal is to visit every province in China within the two-year frame of the Master’s – and I’ll be asking everyone I know for their recommendations!
Last but not least, I am looking forward to meeting fellow scholars from countries all over the world, whose different local perspectives and journeys leading towards Yenching intrigues me in equal measure to the academic offering.
Thank you YCA and PKU for the wonderful opportunity!
