Beijing Social March 2024
Social Event
Beijing
29th March 2024
Malbec & Beef
Our first social in Beijing in FIVE YEARS was a wonderful occasion bringing together alumni from across China. For the first post-pandemic social we were delighted to welcome members travelling from Hangzhou, Shanghai and areas surrounding Beijing to the capital itself. It was also great to see the mix of ages at the dinner with recent graduates able to hear from the more experienced China hands who have spent many years, even decades, living in the middle kingdom. Valuable knowledge was exchanged and new connections formed which will hopefully help those present down the line.
We enjoyed Argentinian steaks and an assortment of wines at Malbec & Beef. We would like to thank our member Fongyee and her husband Edward for generously donating wines from their collection, and the University of Cambridge Development Office for sponsoring this event.
If you’ve missed this one, we look forward to seeing you at our next social before too long. We hope there will be time to organise another social in China before the end of 2024 to reinforce our precious community of alumni in China.
London Social December 2023
Social Event
London
9th December 2023
Old China Hand
As the festive season drew near, members of the Thomas Wade Society came together for an informal drinks event in London in December 2023. The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for alumni and faculty to reconnect, share stories, and forge new friendships. Hosted at the Old China Hand in Clerkenwell, the pub’s welcoming atmosphere, rich history, and fitting reputation made it the perfect setting for our gathering, creating a warm and lively backdrop for the night. Drinks flowed freely, and finger food was enjoyed with great appetite as conversations sparkled throughout the evening. Members in attendance spanned several generations of Cambridge Chinese alumni, representing a wide range of professional backgrounds, including academia, diplomacy, and law. The event truly strengthened our sense of community, and we’re excited to announce another social in London this November. We look forward to welcoming both familiar faces and new members as we continue to invigorate our network and share our experiences. To stay updated on our plans, be sure to join our WeChat or WhatsApp group chats, or subscribe to our email list. (p.s. if anyone has a photo from the night, please send it in!)
Shanghai Social November 2023
Social Event
Shanghai
11th Nov. 2023
Highline
In November 2023, some of our China-based alumni met in Shanghai to catch up over drinks and food. We met at Highline, a relaxed bar/restaurant near the French Concession with great views on Huangpu River and the Pudong skyline. This social was the society’s first in Shanghai and we have been very pleased to see our presence in the region growing again post-Covid.
TWS Annual Cambridge Careers Event 2022/23
Careers Event
Cambridge
23rd Feb. 2023
Online
At the height of another busy lent term, most of the current undergraduate Chinese studies students and several alumni assembled once more on Zoom for the 5th annual Thomas Wade Society Careers Event. The meeting is a great opportunity for current students to hear from their Chinese Studies 學長 about how they navigated life after AMES and what the current students should be thinking about now.
This year we were joined by the three outstanding alumni of Conrad Clifford (Graduated 1981), Caroline Meinhardt (-2016) and Sam Franklin (-2016). Conrad is Deputy Director General and Corporate Secretary of IATA, with a lengthy career spanning the globe and covering various subject areas, including business, marketing and non-profits. Having used his Chinese in professional settings for many years, it was eye-opening for students to learn how one can develop their Chinese for business post-university. Caroline is currently finishing her MA at Stanford in International Policy having previously worked for almost five years in China in research and consulting. One could say her focus is very much forward looking or future-proofed with her research centred on the global governance of AI and other emerging technologies. Sam is an Associate at Slaughter and May, one of the UK’s top law firms, where he works in Corporate and M&A law. Sam shared many interesting anecdotes from his legal cases when he could utilise his unique background combining awareness of British, Chinese and Japanese culture.
The meeting began with each speaker briefly going through their careers followed by a lengthy Q&A session. One point which was healthily discussed was the difference between the UK and China in making contact with employers. While ‘guanxi’ is a term often ridiculed, for foreigners in China it can prove to be doubly important and that seemed to be one of the takeaways from the discussion. In China, it is harder to showcase your record and achievements online with your WeChat account only viewable to your friends and LinkedIn being used to a lesser extent. A couple of the speakers mentioned gaining their earliest employment in China via personal connections on WeChat. With our third years spending their years abroad in Taiwan recently, it is also worth considering how familiar they want to become with Taiwan’s primary social media platform, Line, and China’s, WeChat, through which a lot of work is conducted.
TWS would like to extend a warm thanks to the wonderful speakers and all the students who participated in the event. Besides the annual careers event, there is plenty of TWS activity for everyone to get involved in. Sarah runs a monthly book group celebrating its one-year anniversary, the details of which can be found on our Facebook and WeChat pages. We are also planning to organise events in China and the UK for alumni and current students as previously so stay tuned for that. Do also remember to make the most of the society’s resources such as the alumni directory and recommended Chinese employer lists available in the description section of the society’s Facebook page.
Thomas Wade Society 