Ming-Ai (London) Institute is proud to have developed a range of cultural projects across oral history, cooking healthy Chinese food and engaging the Chinese community.
Ming-Ai Projects
Ming-Ai (London) Institute is proud to have developed a range of projects across oral history, cooking healthy Chinese food and engaging with the political system. These projects are run to develop a deeper cross-cultural understanding and bridge the educational gap between the Chinese community and the wider UK population, fostering engagement among communities. By running these projects Ming-Ai has been able to offer work-based learning through various internships and placement schemes.
Like other voluntary organisations, we value the assistance from volunteers so that we can grow and therefore to help develop our projects and to reach out to different communities. Various volunteers are needed for our projects to run such as tutors, translators, office helpers, project volunteers, and graphic designers. Training will be given to volunteers if necessary, if you are interested to join us, or would like to find out more information, please contact us and we will explore possible opportunities together. Volunteer application form can be downloaded here (editable PDF file).
Over the years the Institute has run a number of successful projects, these include:
BRITISH CHINESE HERITAGE CENTRE
BRITISH CHINESE WORKFORCE HERITAGE
A 3-year old history project that covers the history of the British Chinese through interviews and research. This project began in 2012 and will be completed in 2015 following a number of exhibitions in local and national museums.
THE EVOLUTION AND HISTORY OF BRITISH CHINESE WORKFORCE
The Workforce Evolution project uses oral history as a way to explore the history of the Chinese community in the UK. The project went across the UK, from Limehouse to Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool in an effort to track the various histories of the Chinese community in the UK.
EAST-WEST FESTIVE CULTURE
The first oral history project run by the Institute examined various Chinese festivals, how these traditional Chinese festival differ from their British counterparts and why.
British Chinese Armed Forces Heritage
The British Chinese Armed Forces Heritage (BCAFH) Project is a four-year partnership project delivered by Regent's University London and Ming-Ai (London) Institute and funded by the UK Heritage Lottery Fund. The aim of this ambitious oral history project is to conduct research into military collaboration between China and Britain and to highlight the unparalleled contribution that Chinese military servicemen have made to the British Armed Forces during the 19th and 20th Centuries
Hong Kong's Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) displayed Hong Kong's cultural heritage with the launch of the Hong Kong's Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival in London on May 15 (London time). The festival formed part of London ETO's programme to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.The Workforce Evolution project uses oral history as a way to explore the history of the Chinese community in the UK.
British Airways 80 Years of Connecting HK to the UK
In 2016, British Airways proudly celebrated 80 years of flying to Hong Kong and announced a major exhibition co-presented with the Media, Culture and Creative Cities Postgraduate Programme (MCCC). The exhibition tracked the history of Hong Kong’s civil aviation development against social, cultural, and political transformations in Hong Kong over the decades.
CHINESE FOOD
FUN:) HEALTHY CHINESE CUISINE AMBASSADORS PROJECT
From 2016 the new GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition curriculum is taught in UK schools with emphasis on developing an understanding of nutrition, food provenance and working characteristics of food. FUN:) HEALTHY CHINESE CUISINE AMBASSADORS project complements this new curriculum international cuisine section and aims to equip young students and the teachers with knowledge on Chinese food culture, the Chinese take on nutrition and healthy eating as well as relevant practical preparation and cooking skills.
BRITISH CHINESE FOOD CULTURE
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant to Ming-Ai (London) Institute for the British Chinese Food Culture project between March 2011 to March 2012. The heritage focus for this project is to track the changes of the Chinese food in the UK, from how the original recipes were adapted by the environment changes and different ingredients, to how it gets back to the original ingredients and recipes when more oriental foods are imported.
COMMUNITY
Making Chinese Votes Count
Making Chinese Votes Count led a drive to register and inform the Chinese community about their vote in the 2006 election and beyond.
China Now
China Now is the largest festival of Chinese culture ever in the UK. It launched in February 2008, with a series of high-profile events to mark the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
Other Projects
The following projects were funded by the European Social Fund and Learning & Skills Council between 2004-2006, namely:
- BME Community Leadership Programme
- Capacity Building Programme
- NVQ Level 2 Chinese Catering
