Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has appointed three new deans responsible for managing the University’s research, graduate studies, learning and teaching and international affairs.

The new two-year appointments officially began at the start of February 2017 and deans will also sit on the Senior Management Team Committee, the Academic Strategy Group and Academic Board, and chair university-level committees.

DEAN FOR RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Professor Eng Gee Lim from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has been appointed as dean for research and graduate studies, supporting the operational delivery of the academic strategy as it relates to research matters. He will lead and implement strategies on research management, income, performance and output, and will help drive initiatives in research-led teaching. He will also be responsible for the ongoing co-ordination, development and management of the Research and Graduate Studies Office.

Professor Lim received his PhD degree in the area of electronic engineering in 2002 from the University of Northumbia in the United Kingdom, after which he worked for Andrew Ltd, a leading communications system company in the UK. He joined XJTLU in 2007. Having published in more than 100 refereed international journals and conference papers, his research interests include antennas, RF/microwave engineering and wireless communication networks for smart and green cities, amongst other areas.

DEAN FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING

Dr Chee Seong Chin, head of the Department of Civil Engineering, has been appointed as dean of learning and teaching, supporting the University in the operational delivery of its academic strategy and the ongoing co-ordination of learning and teaching.

Dr Chin received his PhD degree in civil engineering in 2006 from Swansea University, UK, and has more than 11 years’ experience working in international higher education institutions. He joined XJTLU in 2012 and is the founding director of the Institute for Sustainable Materials and Environment.

His primary research interests are materials and structural behaviour of fibre-reinforced cementitious composites, and sustainable construction and building materials.

DEAN FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Dr Stuart Perrin, the outgoing dean for learning and teaching as well as outgoing director of the XJTLU Language Centre, has been appointed as the University’s first dean for international affairs. In this role, drawing on his experience in academia, recruitment and marketing, Dr Perrin will be looking at steps XJTLU needs to take to become a ‘truly international university’ and will be developing a number of initiatives and policies in this respect across all areas of the university.

Prior to working at XJTLU, Dr Perrin worked at Queen Mary University of London, as well as other London educational institutions, including private educational providers.

Professor Andre Brown, vice-president for academic affairs at XJTLU, said: “I want to welcome the appointees to their new roles and I look forward to working with them. My thanks to our previous two deans, Professor David O’Connor and Dr Stuart Perrin, for their excellent work in the roles that they have held for the past four years.”

Professor Brown will remain in his role until August 2017 when he will be succeeded by Professor Barry Godfrey as vice-president for academic affairs.

An academic from International Business School Suzhou at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has had his research work recognised at conferences in India.

Dr Victor Chang, associate professor in information management and information systems at IBSS, was invited to give keynote speeches at two events in the country.

He presented to 400 people at the International Conference on Communication, Computing and Information Technology in Chennai and to 200 people at the International Conference on Recent Trends and Challenges in Computational Models in Tindivanam.

At both, he drew on his research into the internet of things, big data and complex information systems services, and how the data generated across different disciplines can be used.

“My talks at the conferences illustrated that the combined effort of the internet of things, big data and complex information systems services can enable different disciplines to work together to produce greater impact and contributions to research and enterprise communities,” said Dr Chang.

At the International Conference on Communication, Computing and Information Technology, held at the Vaishnav College for Women in Chennai, Dr Chang gave a wide-ranging presentation on the potential of the Internet of Things, but also covered possible pitfalls and gave practical solutions.

“The Internet of Things allows devices to connect over the internet, letting them talk to us, their applications, and each other. This has potential for a large number of different disciplines from healthcare to building smart cities and homes,” he said. “But we must be mindful of the challenges the internet of things presents especially in the online security of payments and privacy.”

Dr Chang also talked about the importance of the data generated by the internet of things: “Technological breakthroughs in the future will come as a result of how well we make sense of data, how we can unlock its potential,” he said.

Sakthi Kumaresh, convener at the International Conference on Communication, Computing and Information Technology, said it was a “privilege” to have Dr Chang present.

As well as presenting at the International Conference on Recent Trends and Challenges in Computational Models, held at University College of Engineering Tindivanam, Dr Chang was also awarded a prize for ‘Outstanding Young Scientist’ for his research contribution and community service.

Dr Chang has published more than 130 peered-reviewed papers and is organising two major conferences, International Conference on Internet of Things, Big Data and Security and International Conference on Complexity, Future Information Systems and Risk, in Portugal in April.

Dr P. Vijayakumar, dean at University College of Engineering Tindivanam, said that Dr Chang’s “impressive track record” left the conference organising committee with no doubt that he should be the recipient of the award.

“I was honoured to be invited to these conferences and to be given an award for my work,” added Dr Chang. “Being asked to present at conferences around the world is an important part of the work of an academic and helps boost not only my own profile internationally but that of IBSS and XJTLU too.”

The head of the Management Information Technology and System Office (MITS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has been recognised by a Chinese technology and business magazine as one of the country’s top chief information officers.

Xudong Feng was named “Excellent Chief Information Officer in China 2016” by ‘IT Managers’ World’ magazine. He was the only winner of the award working in a university.

‘IT Managers’ World’ magazine was founded in 1998 and it is one of the leading technology and business magazine in China.

After six months of visits, interviews, case studies and evaluation, a total of 50 chief information officers were selected as winners of the awards. They were chosen from nearly 200 candidates from enterprise, academia and industry across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan by the assessment committee of ‘IT Managers’ World’

The assessment committee praised Xudong’s work, saying: “IT support is essential for outstanding education and teaching. While the university is developing rapidly, he and his team have provided professional IT support to each departments’ teaching, in various ways [including] internal cloud services for XJTLU students and staff to support their learning, teaching and administrative work.”

“We built the campus IT service platform by referring to international best practice, providing services to support students and staff learning, teaching and research based on their requirements and experience,” said Xudong, who joined XJTLU in 2009.

MITS is in charge of XJTLU’s informatisation management, building and maintaining the campus network, the server for the university’s website, classroom multimedia facilities, student self-service printers and software, dealing with staff IT issues, and organising software training and seminars to support teaching.

“We also check over 1,500 computers and dozens of public printers periodically around campus to keep the devices available. We estimate that MITS provided services 30,882 times in 2016, including dealing with 16,690 IT support request tickets,” he added.

Xudong said that MITS recently set up a service desk, which provides computer-related services to students, on the fourth floor of the University library. In addition, MITS also communicates with information departments from other universities and institutions. The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, for example, visited XJTLU last year and shared their experiences. Members of the delegation praised XJTLU’s expense control system in particular, noting that they would be interested in implementing a similar system.

“This award is an honour to me personally and also an achievement for the University,” said Xudong. “We will continue to provide better services to XJTLU staff and students to keep XJTLU’s IT provision among the top level of Sino-foreign cooperative universities in China.”

Search engine giant Baidu has announced that Cheng Lv, a Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University graduate, will become the general manager responsible for its smart home hardware division.

His appointment follows Baidu's acquisition of Cheng's start-up company Raven Technology, which he founded in 2014. It was developed under global seed accelerator Y Combinator, and attracted investment from ZhenFund, Matrix Partner, DCM and Y Combinator.

The company aims to "make life easier, more elegant and more efficient" through the power of technology and design. Its voice-activated, artificial intelligence-based music application Flow has millions of users.

In his new role with Baidu, Cheng will be responsible for Baidu's smart home hardware business. He will support the development of Duer, Baidu's own artificially intelligent personal assistant, to improve user experience and future 'smart' products and devices.

Cheng will report directly to Qi Lu, president and chief operating officer of Baidu, who said Cheng's appointment was an "important step" for Baidu in their ambitions to lead future AI development.

Cheng was born in 1990 in Shaanxi Province. He studied financial mathematics at XJTLU and the University of Liverpool. He launched his first start-up project at XJTLU, Timeet, a timetable-based social networking app.

He graduated in 2013 and launched Raven Tech the following year. He has been named twice in "Forbes 30 under 30" lists (2015/2016).

The Department of Chemistry at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has become the first at an independent Sino-foreign university in China to achieve professional accreditation for its undergraduate degree programme.

The BSc Applied Chemistry programme was granted accreditation by the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom, one of the world’s foremost professional bodies for chemical scientists.

The accreditation means that upon graduation, BSc Applied Chemistry students will have partially gained the academic requirements needed to achieve chartered status and be able to demonstrate internationally recognised standards of competency as chemists.

Professor Rudi Marquez, head of the Department of Chemistry at XJTLU, said: “Gaining chartered status as a chemist recognises that individuals have well-developed skills, knowledge and professionalism, all key to advancing their careers.

“The accreditation of BSc Applied Chemistry means prospective students can be confident that they will study a programme that is seen as amongst the best in the world, which supports them in developing skills that are in line with global practice and in high demand from employers.”

The accreditation was granted after a rigorous quality assurance process that involved an on-site visit by a team of Royal Society of Chemistry representatives and academics from Imperial College London and the University of Malaya.

They toured the department’s facilities and laboratories, teaching rooms and the XJTLU library, as well as talking to current students about their experiences on the programme. The visiting delegation also spoke to staff to learn about teaching practices at XJTLU.

A report, compiled after the on-site visit, commended a wide range of aspects of the programme, including the facilities, which were highlighted as “some of the best” the site visit team had seen.

The department enjoys state-of-the-art equipment that allows students to conduct cutting-edge research in the fields of energy, environmental chemistry, materials science and biological chemistry.

The experience of students on the programme was also praised in the report, including the amount of hands-on experience students gain with equipment, and the relationship between staff and students in the department.

Ricardo Lopez, a student in the department, said: “The Department of Chemistry at XJTLU is small and allows students direct and easy access to great equipment. I have learned a lot of very useful skills while studying here. The size of the department also makes it really easy to make connections, not just with staff in the department itself, but from others around the University. I have been able to work very closely with researchers in biology, which has given me new perspectives and lines of enquiry, as well as allowing me to better understand the applications of my work.”

Toby Underwood, accreditation manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Accreditation of degrees is an important aspect of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s duty as a professional body for chemistry. Not only does it allow us to share global best practice, but through peer review we give staff and students reassurance that the quality of a degree is appropriate for their future careers, and help with mobility if they wish to continue studying overseas. We are delighted with this new engagement with XJTLU and look forward to future interactions.”

Professor Marquez added: “We’re delighted to have achieved this accreditation, which, in addition to demonstrating the high-quality of the programme, is a testament to ambition of staff in the department to develop a programme that is a leader amongst chemistry degrees in China.”

Founded in 2006, XJTLU is the largest independent Sino-foreign university in China, a partnership between Xi'an Jiaotong University in China and the University of Liverpool in the UK.

XJTLU is part of a small group of independent Sino-foreign universities operating in China, defined as legally independent entities formed as joint ventures between Chinese universities and international partners.

The CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) International Talent Development Programme, delivered by International Business School Suzhou at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, was launched on Wednesday 22 February.

The opening ceremony for the customised executive education programme, which is being delivered to 108 CRRC executives over the course of five months, attracted more than 300 leaders and senior managers from CRRC.

Those in attendance included Song Xue, deputy chief economist and director of human resources at CRRC headquarters, Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, Professor Jean Chen, dean of IBSS, and senior officials from each of CRRC’s 46 subsidiaries.

Professor Youmin Xi said: “I hope all of you can improve your international competitiveness through the training programme and I wish you to realise your dreams through the platform that XJTLU has provided for you.”

He also emphasised that in order to become a ‘global player’ in a world full of uncertainty, participants needed to strengthen their unique professional attainment, develop their cross-cultural leadership skills, and be open to self-reinvention.

The highly interactive programme includes four-months of training on international business and leadership, as well as a one-month overseas trip that will feature interaction and engagement with leading experts in the European and American high-end equipment manufacturing industries.

It aims to equip participants with international perspectives and practical skills, improve their leadership and business development abilities within today’s dynamic international business environment, and enhance their international competitiveness.

With the continuing development of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative , CRRC is working to increase its international activities and strategies while at the same time actively developing its overseas markets. CRRC’s cooperation with XJTLU is an important part of the company’s approach to internationalising its workforce.

At the opening event Song Xue gave his thanks to XJTLU and IBSS for placing “great importance” on the CRRC executive training programme.

Recalling the previous year’s cooperation, he said: “I appreciate XJTLU’s advanced educational philosophy and its rich cultural knowledge, which combines the best practice of West and East. XJTLU gathers together the latest thoughts from across the world.”

He added that participants who attended the previous training had confirmed that it was a high-quality experience: “Those who participated in the training have shown significant improvement in their thinking and cross-cultural communication skills, and their horizons have been greatly broadened,” he added.

“This is the second time that IBSS has cooperated with CRRC to conduct an international talent training programme and this year participants have increased from 76 to 108,” said John Storm, programme director. “This second cooperation shows CRRC’s recognition of the success of the first training.”

He added that through attending the training programme, participants will gain core skills that international leaders should possess, including those in team management, problem solving, negotiation, efficient communication and cultural integration.

Professor Chen added that this year’s training had gone through optimisation and improvement to include a greater diversity of international academic staff. The training will focus more on combining practice and theory and will have an increased ratio of case studies, as well as engagement with industry via the invitation of guest speakers and the organisation of company visits.

She continued by saying that the team in charge of the CRRC executive training programme at IBSS will conduct evaluation with participants to learn its good experiences.

CRRC is a Chinese state-owned company and the world’s largest rolling stock manufacturer, with around 175,700 employees. It was formed in 2015 with the merger of China CNR Corporation and CSR Corporation Limited and is currently ranked 266 in the Fortune 500 company index.

Its main businesses cover research and development, design, manufacturing, repair, sales, leasing and technical services for railway stocks, vehicles, engineering machinery parts and services. It is dedicated to innovation, improving technology systems, and constantly upgrading technology innovation capacity.

Students and teachers from five European schools of architecture worked with peers at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University to develop solutions for the redevelopment of Suzhou’s historic Changmen District, conserving heritage architecture and introducing modern innovations.

Visiting international architects and students collaborated with the XJTLU staff and students from the Department of Architecture over the course of a week, beginning with site visits and ending with presentations and discussions of their work.

It is the second time this workshop has been held at XJTLU. It was organised by Pierre-Alain Croset, Head of the Department of Architecture at XJTLU, with assistance from lecturer Juan Carlos Dall’Asta.

“The workshop contemplates the possibilities created by selectively demolishing the modern buildings,” explained Pierre-Alain. “The voids created in the middle of the traditional urban fabric could offer the opportunity to introduce innovation, and to explore a more sensitive and elegant contemporary language.”

“Our students really enjoyed themselves and benefited a lot,” said Juan Carlos. “It was a great opportunity for them to get in contact with students at European universities, open their minds, share opinions about architecture, life, and everything.”

As well as returning participant schools from last year – the University of Liverpool, Graz University of Technology, Politecnico di Torino - two additional architectural schools took part in this year’s workshop - ENSA Paris Val-de-Seine and Sapienza University of Rome. A total of 11 teachers and 54 students from five European schools of architecture took part, together with 56 students and 5 teachers from XJTLU.

Participants were divided into 14 groups, comprising students from each of the visiting institutions and XJTLU students, each led by an architect. There were then each allocated a specific site within the Changmen district for which to develop a restoration plan, imagining new interventions or creating pedestrian connections through the historic blocks, working in the University’s new South Campus Design Building.

Sarah Munroe, an undergraduate student in architecture from the University of Liverpool, found her supervising tutors from Graz to be a ‘positive, motivating influence’.

She also enjoyed the opportunity for collaboration with other students that the workshop presented: “It’s helping me to learn a new working process, as different group members make their contributions. It’s also been good to see what they find interesting in architecture as opposed to just what I alone think. I rely a lot on heritage and history, but others take a more modern approach. The Italians work a lot on theory, so they’ve brought in some interesting concepts,” she said.

Mingyang Xu, a Year Three architecture student at XJTLU, also enjoyed the collaborative process, adding: “The other students in my group were very open-minded and we had some good talks.”

The workshop began with visits to historic gardens within the Changmen District to see examples of well-preserved historic architecture. Illenia Massucco, a student from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, said of the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty Garden: “It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in my life. Everything is very controlled and nothing in the design is left to chance.”

Visiting professors also found inspiration in the Chinese architecture they saw. Martin Grabner of Graz University of Technology, Austria, noted interesting similarities between courtyard houses in Suzhou and in Palestine: “Both cities have different morphologies to that of European cities, but the similarities between Islamic and Chinese architecture is very interesting for me,” he said.

Juan Carlos Dall’Asta also found the use of space in Chinese gardens ‘fascinating’ and noted that European architects can learn a lot from them about the sequencing of spaces and the relationship between internal and external space.

Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, Head of the Department of Architecture at The University of Liverpool, noted how the workshop corresponds to similar work in architecture and cultural heritage internationally:

“We have a research centre at The University of Liverpool called ArCHIAM, which stands for Architecture and Cultural Heritage of India, Arabia, and The Maghreb, and covers a lot of the African and Asian region,” he said.

“Clearly this workshop aligns with the kind of work we are doing there, helping governments and stakeholder bodies to understand the value of contemporary design within an historic context. To merely conserve is out-of-step with contemporary life, and it’s important that we think in a contemporary way while honouring the spirit of the past.”

Following a week of intense design work, plans were finally fused into a ‘collage’ plan of possible architectural projects for the Changmen Historical District. Representatives at the Planning Bureau of Suzhou have commented that they value a critical dialogue with XJTLU on matters related to conservation for heritage architecture and are interested in the innovations the University can offer.

“The tradition of preserving important historical architecture is quite young in China,” said Martin Grabner. “Ancient dynasties always destroyed what was there before. This is maybe a point that China can learn from Europe, just as we can learn interesting things from Chinese architecture.”

Simona Salvo of Sapienza University of Rome remarked that: “People [in China] are happy with their traditional way of living, but demolishing [historic buildings] and rebuilding leads to gentrification, and so there is a danger of ‘throwing out the baby with the bathwater’. What is novel here is that finally design and architectural conservation are meeting, and in the right place which is in the city overall, not only monuments.”

The final restoration plans and models will be on display on the first floor of the Design Building from midday on Saturday 25 February, and all are encouraged to attend the exhibit.

Researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University are part of a cooperative project that will conduct research into the audiences of an international painting exhibition.

Dr Yiwen Wang from the Department of Urban Planning and Design at XJTLU is part of the project, “Producing/Consuming 'Romantic Scotland': Exhibitions, Heritage, Nation and the Chinese Market”, which started in October 2016 and will last for 24 months.

It is led by Rebecca Bailey, head of education and outreach at Historic Environment Scotland, and funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The project aims to increase understanding of audiences, and capacity for audience research in Scotland and China as well as to facilitate knowledge exchange between academic and cultural institutions in the two countries.

Audience research is the study of visitors who go to museums, galleries, heritage sites etc., and is conducted by museum professionals or heritage site managers in order to better understand what motivates people to visit and what they expect to gain.

Dr Wang said: “We hope the project will influence UK cultural institutions to develop policies and improve their practice when preparing exhibitions for a global audience, especially those aimed at Chinese attendees.”

“We expect the findings of the project will reframe debates and thinking about how to evaluate exhibitions and how to develop tourist products for Chinese audiences based on a greater understanding of the nuances of the Chinese market.”

The research team is comprised of principal investigator Rebecca Bailey, co-investigators Professor Michael Silk, from the University of Bournemouth, and Dr Andrew Manley, from the University of Bath, as well as Dr Wang as international co-investigator.

Dr Wang is working in collaboration with Dr Manley to lead audience research into the ‘Romantic Scotland: Castles, Land and Sea’ exhibition, which will be held at Nanjing Museum from April to July 2017.

“Audience research helps museum professionals and heritage site managers learn how to engage their visitors more effectively through exhibition curation, programming and heritage site management,” she added.

In addition, the research team also has been collaborating with Dr Paul Craig and Dr Joon Sik Kim of the Research Institute for Smart and Green Cities at XJTLU to develop a visitor behaviour mapping application and a data visualisation application to facilitate audience research of the exhibition. The Research Institute of Smart and Green Cities has also been provided with exclusive access to the Nanjing Museum’s audience data in order to produce research papers.

During the project, XJTLU postgraduate students from the departments of Computer Science and Software Engineering and Urban Planning and Design will assist in developing the mapping and visulisation applications, participate in training sessions on audience research methods, conduct on-site survey and assist in data analysis and interpretation.

“This experience will enhance students’ professional communication and research skills, strengthening their competiveness and employability for their future careers,” said Dr Wang.

“The project has raised the visibility and international profile of XJTLU and provided opportunities for XJTLU staff to develop further international collaboration. I am optimistic about the potential and further opportunities that this cross-sector interdisciplinary research project can bring to XJTLU.”

Chinese language students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University were given a hands-on lesson in the Chinese culinary arts, learning to make the famous dish Kung Pao Chicken.

Students met in the afternoon at the MBA Parfait restaurant at Wenxing Plaza, and were given a step-by-step demonstration of how to cook the dish by chef Shuai Xu. They then formed smaller groups and tried their hand at the classic dish.

Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy dish originating in Sichuan Province and popular throughout China with many regional variations. It is made by stir-frying chicken, vegetables, chili, and peanuts, and is thought to be named after Ding Baozhen (1820-1886), a Qing Dynasty official.

The activity was organized by Xuanying Shen (or ‘Shen Laoshi’ as she is known by her students), Chinese language tutor and Manager of languages other than English at XJTLU’s Language Centre. She has planned other activities for her class in the upcoming weeks, including a trip to the cinema to watch a Chinese film.

“Shen Laoshi is so energetic,” said Andrew Bankole, a visiting student from the University of Liverpool studying engineering. “She’s very active in class, and she’s very good at encouraging everyone to speak and take part.”

Chiara Castellini, a visiting student from the University of Venice completing a masters in Oriental Languages, said she really appreciates these sorts of activites:

“I’ve tried to cook Chinese dishes before, but the ingredients were not easily available in my hometown. I’m interested in all aspects of Chinese culture so I really appreciate this opportunity to learn more about Chinese cookery.”

The Language Centre at XJTLU offers a range of courses for Chinese learners. International undergraduate students are given intensive Mandarin classes in Year One, and masters students are required to take Chinese language classes as part of their Additional Learning Activities. Intensive summer school classes and a part-time Autumn Course tailored to different learner levels are also available.

An international workshop on water urbanism, held at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, invited students and academics from KU Leuven in Belgium and Suzhou University of Science and Technology to collaborate on creating an extensive inventory of the Jiangnan Ecological Wetland and Water Village Cultural Zone.

Located to the south of Suzhou in the flood plain of Taihu Lake, this low-lying area is a unique water landscape composed of lakes, fishponds and poldered farmlands, with numerous ancient water towns and small industries. The area is threatened by the development of new infrastructure, such as roads, railways, subways, and by the growth of surrounding towns Suzhou, Kunshan, and Shanghai.

“The area is seen as a potential green belt at the heart of the Yangtze River delta metropolis,” explained Christian Nolf, programme director of the MSc Urban Design and co-director of the Research Institute of Urbanisation at XJTLU.

“Recent planning visions call for its preservation due to its ecological and heritage value. The aim of the workshop was for students from all three universities to develop scenarios and context-sensitive strategies for the area.”

The workshop, hosted by the Department of Urban Planning and Design and the Research Institute of Urbanisation at XJTLU, combined extensive fieldwork with lectures and ‘charrettes’ - intense design sessions - culminating in final poster presentations covering various aspects of the area.

Students worked in nine groups, or ‘think tanks’, to research specific topics, beginning with a week of fieldwork near Tongli water town that included mapping exercises and interviews with local residents. They were asked to consider the following questions:

• What defines the area spatially?
• What is the ‘DNA’ of the landscape (including its origins, elements, successive transformations, activities, and people)?
• What are the main challenges for the future of this area?

They then convened at XJTLU to develop posters, videos and models about the topics, with intense design sessions interspersed with lectures by experts in water management, spatial planning, and landscape architecture.

The topics of the nine posters were infrastructures; society; industry; agriculture; water; building typology; tissues; topography, and nature. Combined, they provide a comprehensive picture of the area from which to form the basis of students' design projects for the semester at all three of the participating universities.

Stephanie Dens, a studio teacher at KU Leuven, explained how the workshop will continue for her students following their return to Belgium: “We will rework the gathered material and use it for the basis for our design studio. All members of each think thank will be re-divided to form new ‘strategy groups’ to work on solutions for the area, keeping in regular communication with the other universities, and coordinating for a big round-up of presentations from all the studios in June.”

Harsh Lakhani, a student from KU Leuven, was part of the group researching topography, and explained his group’s process and findings: “We consulted maps and historical records from as far back as 1864 and found that 100 years ago the area was 90 percent water and 10 percent land. Now, the situation is the reverse. Our poster presents these changes with a cross-section of the land showing a gradual fragmentation of water bodies,” he said.

The final presentation of the posters was attended by Feng Zhu, director of the General Office of Suzhou Planning Bureau, and Chen Zhu, director of Wujiang Planning Bureau. Students presented their posters to attendees in 10-minute sessions, along with accompanying videos filmed during the fieldwork.

“Urbanisation and the preservation of this area need not be mutually exclusive,” explained Christian. “The question is, how can the development pressure in Jiangnan corridor be dynamically balanced with the preservation and reinforcement of the unique productive, ecological, social and cultural qualities of its landscape?"

He said that the organisation of the workshop demonstrated the desire of XJTLU, and of the Research Institute of Urbanisation in particular, to engage in a close partnership with local authorities in the sustainable development of the region.

“Ideas from the workshop will contribute to ongoing research on the integration of spatial planning and water management in the Yangtze River delta region, supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Jiangsu Province Program of Science and Technology,” he added.

Students from the University of Pittsburgh visited Xi’an Jiatong-Liverpool University this week as part of the INNOVATE programme, organised in collaboration with The Asia Institute.

The programme aims to explore the relationship between technology, globalisation, and leadership in the global marketplace by giving international students first-hand experience in China.

As well as XJTLU, students visited the famous sights of Beijing, Peking University, and the Great Leap Brewery, a craft beer company started by University of Pittsburgh graduate Carl Setzer.

In Suzhou, they visited manufacturing company Eaton, ASUS Technology, a silk factory, and the historical site of Tiger Hill.

At XJTLU they met with students, had an introductory Chinese lesson, and took a tour of the campus. Their experiences follow a similar visit by students from the University of Pittsburgh last year.

“Tiger Hill was so amazing!” said Casey Cloonan, who studies civil engineering at Pittsburgh. “It’s amazing to see ancient architecture that we can’t really experience in the U.S.”

She added that she was impressed with the XJTLU campus and the design and layout of the Suzhou Industrial Park – where XJTLU is located – in general.

Another University of Pittsburgh student John Driggers, studying bio-engineering, said he had never considered studying in China before but his experiences on the trip were opening his eyes to the possibilities of studying and working in the country.

It was the third year that Dr Jayant Rajgopal, professor of industrial engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, had taken part in the programme: “We visit new places each year. Students find it really interesting and it gives them valuable insight into how engineering and business is done here in China, as well as exposing them to important cultural sites,” he said.

The University of Pittsburgh offers current XJTLU students the opportunity to take part in non-credit short-term summer courses in a wide range of subjects through the Study Abroad Foundation.

An exhibition of the recent international workshop on urban conservation and modern interventions is on display on the first floor of the South Campus Design Building at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Teachers and students from five European schools of architecture were invited to collaborate with the Department of Architecture at XJTLU on plans to introduce innovative designs in Suzhou’s historic Changmen district.

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has been trying out new methods for teaching students how to use laboratory equipment in order to enhance their practical skills for lab-based sessions.

Lab-based teaching sessions, in which hands-on experiments are conducted by students, are an important part of a wide range of engineering and science disciplines. Teaching involves live demonstrations and tutorials once students have reviewed theoretical materials on the operation of lab equipment.

But, the department faced challenges in delivering effective live demonstrations once class numbers grew. Lecturers also found that many students simply didn’t review lab manuals before class, meaning they asked a lot of basic questions during live demonstrations, which prevented effective learning of more complex processes.

To address the challenges, Dr Shaofeng Lu, a lecturer at the department, along with Dr Yang Du and Ying Cheng, devised a project to develop video tutorials on laboratory instrument operation.

The project was funded by XJTLU’s Teaching Development Fund, while the XJTLU Academic Enhancement Centre provided filming and editing support.

“Well-designed video tutorials eliminate time and space constraints on learning and to enable students to deepen their understanding of concepts, rather than spending the majority of time during lab teaching troubleshooting,” said Dr Lu.

Students Shuxin Yao and Wenrui Zhang were volunteers on the project. Together, they made a video tutorial demonstrating how to use a multimeter, an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit.

“I learnt lots of practical operational skills and my hands-on ability greatly improved,” Shuxin said.

Wenrui added: “We taught other students how to operate the instrument by demonstrating the multimeter in the video. We explained in detail the main functions of the commonly used buttons.

“When students watch the video, it’s as if they have received a one-to-one tutorial from a teaching assistant. It will save lots of their time in practical lab sessions and improve their learning efficiency.”

After a month’s work, the project team has finished four new five-minute videos tutorials, demonstrating both the multimeter and a DC power source. There are currently six videos on ICE, XJTLU’s Moodle-based virtual learning environment, for students to download.

And it’s not just the way students learn how to use the equipment that has changed, the way their resulting skills are tested has also been amended.

Dr Du, who is in charge of this semester’s lab teaching, explained that previously students’ skills were tested in groups whereas now students are tested individually with a time limit.

“The ability to operate lab instruments is very important for every student in the department and this new approach to testing puts students under pressure a bit more to learn,” he added.

Liqi Sun, a second-year student, said that most of his classmates watched the videos before the lab instrument operations test: “These videos helped to answer lots of basic questions in advance,” he said.

Another student Lei Kang believed that the videos helped to more efficiently him review how to operate the instruments.

Fei Cheng, a PhD student in the department and a teaching assistant for lab teaching sessions, added: “This cohort of students performed better than the previous one.”

While it is still a challenge for a limited number of academic staff and teaching assistants to evaluate more than 100 students’ skills in one day, Dr Lu said that test content and procedures will go through continued improvement and optimisation.

He said: “We will continue to improve our practical teaching methods and provide students with a student-centred self-learning atmosphere and environment.”

Dr Beatriz Carillo Garcia of the Department of China Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has been researching the state of social welfare provision for China’s migrant workers.

Her paper, ‘Migrant labour and the sustainability of China’s welfare system’, was published in the online quarterly 'Made in China', produced by the Australian National University Press, and was also included in its 2016 yearbook as one of the most significant articles of that year.

The paper looks at changes to welfare provision for China’s migrant workers following reforms since 2008 and finds that further incentives are needed for provincial governments to provide equal benefits to those from outside their usual jurisdiction.

The recent history of social welfare in China is somewhat complex.

“A legacy of the Mao era was that the State provided welfare for urban citizens but people in the countryside had to be self-reliant,” explains Dr Carrillo Garcia.

“With reform and opening in the late 1970s came the collapse of the danwei (‘work unit’) system, but nothing had been established to replace what it had provided – education, housing, health insurance, pensions. Meanwhile the countryside didn’t have any safeguards.”

A new social security system was put in place in cities in the late 1990s, with similar systems being introduced in the countryside later. However, these systems remained entirely separate in terms of management, budgets, and benefits provided - usually with much lower benefits for rural than urban areas. This creates problems for sick or injured migrant workers who cannot afford care where they are working, particularly in cities like Shanghai and Beijing where migrant workers are the most numerous.

“The Central Government has attempted to harmonise rural and urban social welfare since 2008,” explains Dr Carrillo Garcia, “creating a national social welfare system and closing the gap in economic development between rural and urban areas.

“But protectionism exists at the provincial level, with local governments unwilling to provide care to migrant workers from other provinces. The Central Government could introduce incentives to correct this.”

Dr Carrillo Garcia’s research mainly concerns social development and change in contemporary China. In addition to her work on welfare for migrant workers, she has researched the incursion of private entrepreneurs into the provision of health and education services in China, and is currently developing a research project on charitable giving in Suzhou.

Born in Mexico, Dr Carrillo Garcia was based in Australia for 15 years and is currently on a two-year leave from the University of Sydney to join the Department of China Studies at XJTLU.

“Prior to taking up this position I hadn’t been to China for over two years,” she says. “I feel better able to write about Chinese society while I’m experiencing it first-hand.”

Dr Carrillo Garcia is currently teaching the module ‘China: family and society’, which gives students an historical background of the traditional family system in China, through to the radical family changes of the Maoist period. This gives students important context for discussing contemporary issues.

“We cover issues around gender, family planning, changing value systems, and less widely-viewed issues such as divorce and domestic violence,” she says.

“We also look at contemporary ideas about family, responsibility, the process of ‘individualisation’ and how this affects family life, and we look at those excluded from the traditional family – ‘left behind women’, LGBT people."

Find out more about the academic degree programmes offered by the Department of China Studies.

Dr Carrillo Garcia’s paper, ‘Migrant labour and the sustainability of China’s welfare system’, is available to read online in the latest issue of the Made In China quarterly.

Government officials from the Department of Education (DoE) of Jiangsu Province visited Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University yesterday afternoon as part of work to learn about the experiences and achievements of universities around the country.

The delegation, led by Daokai Ge, secretary of the education committee of Jiangsu and secretary of the leading party members' group of Jiangsu DoE, visited XJTLU to hear about the University’s experiences as a Sino-foreign joint venture.

Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, vice presidents Dr Minzhu Yang, Professor Andre Brown and Dr Yimin Ding welcomed the group. Deputy director of the student management centre, Qijian Xie, and deputy director of information affairs, Dr Xin Bi, also attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Professor Xi delivered a speech on XJTLU’s reform and approach. He introduced the University’s positioning, educational model and philosophy, and international strategies, based on XJTLU’s 10 years as an international cooperative university.

Mr Ge praised XJTLU, saying: “Over 10 years, XJTLU has been demonstrated to be very effective. It has successfully combined the best of West and East and formed its own practice with unique features.”

Professor Xi also introduced XJTLU’s exploration in education for the next 10 years.

He said: “Education is encountering many challenges in the current era. About 70 to 80 percent graduates will work in areas that have no connection with their degree programmes. These students are not equipped with knowledge and abilities that are necessary for them to work in or explore a new area.

“Ability cannot simply be taught through classroom teaching. We are exploring another educational model for cultivating advanced applied talents. ”

Mr Ge agreed with Professor Xi that current education was cultivating professional talents but that comprehensive abilities and knowledge were also necessary after they entered the work market.

He said he believed that XJTLU’s approach may achieve breakthroughs and that he supported XJTLU in carrying out exploration. He added: “China is reforming, Britain is also reforming, and this reforming era has brought XJTLU opportunities as well as challenges. XJTLU can achieve even more than it has already based on its well-established foundation.”

Professor Adam Cross of International Business School Suzhou at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has been selected to receive the 2017 Decade Award of the Journal of International Business Studies, one of the world’s leading business studies journals and the premiere journal its field.

The award, sponsored by Palgrave Macmillan, is designed to recognise the most influential paper published in JIBS 10 years previously. It will be presented to Professor Cross and his co-authors at the 2017 Academy of International Business conference in Dubai.

‘The determinants of Chinese outward foreign direct investment’, originally published in JIBS in 2007, has since had over 2,000 citations and has become one of the authoritative studies on the internationalisation of Chinese companies.

The award’s selection committee called the paper one of the “pioneering empirical studies” of its kind, noting that it provides “a truly comprehensive treatment of Chinese investment abroad making it a landmark study in understanding outward foreign direct investment.”

“I am extremely honored to receive this award,” said Professor Cross, “and I will be proud to represent XJTLU at the AIB conference, as our current research continues to investigate hot topics in international business studies."

The selection process for the JIBS Decade Award considers not only the number of citations but also the quality. Only papers with a significant number of citations in leading business journals make the final selection. The top five papers are then reviewed by a selection committee of experts to determine which has had the most significant impact in the field of international business studies over a 10-year period.

Adam Cross, professor of international business and associate dean for learning and teaching at IBSS, has co-edited three books and contributed to more than 35 book chapters and scholarly papers on the internationalisation of Asian multinational firms, the cross-border licensing and management of intellectual property, and the institutional environment for international business, with China, India and Japan providing the setting for much of his research.

In 2007, the year of the paper’s original publication, XJTLU was a newly-established university and Professor Cross held a position as senior lecturer in international business at the University of Leeds in the UK. His appointment at IBSS in 2013 coincided with the development of XJTLU and its growing stature as an international university with teaching staff who are leaders in their fields.

Professor Cross is modest about his and his co-authors’ achievements in 2007, claiming that they had first-mover advantage in what later turned into a very important research area in international business studies.

“We were very fortunate to get exclusive access to a firm-level data set on Chinese outward foreign direct investment, which was unusual at that time,” he said. “As it was the first time systematic research had been done in this area, anyone who subsequently wrote an article on this topic was almost obliged to cite us.”

He also praises the contributions of his co-authors, noting that the first author Peter Buckley is one the top international business academics in the world and one of the key scholars to establish theories about why and how firms internationalise. Their 2007 paper tested these theories in relation to China, finding that special conditions applied to Chinese outward foreign direct investment.

“At the time, it was assumed that most Chinese investment was determined by the need to acquire natural resources,” Professor Cross explained. “However, many of the established theories about internationalisation that developed from studies of western companies were being found to be inapplicable to Asian companies in general and to Chinese companies in particular, for various cultural, institutional, and economic reasons."

“Our paper looked at how the location and political characteristics of countries influenced the magnitude and direction of Chinese investment in the 1980s and 1990s. Our key finding was that, because of the privileged access to capital that many Chinese companies enjoyed at that time, not least because of their state-owned status, and because of their distinct sources of competitive advantage, their attitude to investment and location risk was different to that generally observed for western companies.”

The paper is available to read on the website of the Journal of International Business Studies.

Year Four students from the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University travelled to Japan for a field trip exploring recent urban development and practices in the country.

The group of 28 students visited Tokyo to gain first-hand experience of the capital’s urban planning and design, public spaces, traditional housing and heritage, transport integration development and disaster restoration.

“Tokyo was chosen as it is a well-known ‘planning laboratory’ that actively promotes innovation and transformation of the built environment, in order to adapt and respond to current urban challenges,” explained Dr Yunqing Xu, who, along with Dr Raffaele Pernice from the department, organised the trip. Hong Ni, a PhD student in the department, provided assistance during the trip.

“Tokyo is an extraordinary example of an urban environment in perpetual change, whose buildings, large-scale urban infrastructures, carefully designed public spaces and complex interweaving of traditional and futuristic townscape elements have always exerted a powerful attraction,” added Dr Pernice.

The field trip was part of a Year Four module on international planning studies, which takes a research-orientated approach to teaching to build students’ research skills.

Dr Xu, who is the module leader, explained: “In this module, students choose a topical area on which to conduct a research project. They must complete studies before the field trip, as well as research activities during the trip. This way, they gain both knowledge of a subject as well as building important research skills."

“The week of activities in Japan was carefully organised to combine both theoretical analysis and practical activities, in order to expose students to a variety of conditions while abroad,” added Dr Pernice.

These activities included site visits to real projects of different scale and types, such as the area between Shinjuku and Shibuya, the cores of which have been developed as an interconnected system of pedestrian flow that integrate with large scale multi-level public mass transport and other mixed-use regeneration projects.

Students also visited various organisations and academic institutions, including Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Waseda and Hosei Universities, and Nikken Sekkei, a leading company on international urban planning and design, as well as a number of museums and exhibitions.

“Such intensive and diverse on-site experience provided students with a real-life examination of not only the composition of planning policies and design innovations, but also the implementation of different ideas and approaches,” said Dr Pernice.

At Hosei University, a joint workshop was held with Professors Hajime Yatsuka and Makoto Watanabe, who presented on urban transformation and future challenges in Japan. Dr Pernice and Dr Xu added information about urban planning and housing development in Chinese cities.

“The similarities and differences between Japan and China's experience provided students both a broader perspective on international context as well as a deeper understanding of transferability in the local context,” said Dr Xu.
Professor Yatsuka said he was impressed by the passion and original thinking of the XJTLU students involved in the workshop.

Zichun Yang, a student on the trip, enjoyed the opportunity to talk to experts from “top universities and leading companies” and to experience local urban issues through visiting projects and communities.

“Every student had their own research topic, which influenced their learning of specific issues in Tokyo, while the field trip also gave us inspiration for further study and our career planning.” he said.

“It was such a meaningful experience for us as the teachers and students behaved like a big family, taking care of each other."

On their return to XJTLU, students will now submit a research report that critically reviews and evaluates the urban planning challenges and responses in Tokyo and Japan. They will also share their research outcomes and trip learning via a 'pecha-kucha' presentation and photo competition.

An expert in arts and crafts from Jiangsu province in China gave a lecture at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, sharing the long history and development of Suzhou embroidery.

Xuefang Liang, a senior artist, spoke about the beauty and background of Suzhou embroidery at the XJTLU Museum’s 10th cultural lecture.

Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. It may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills and sequins.

Suzhou-style embroidery has a history dating back 2,000 years. It is famous for its beautiful patterns, elegant colours, variety of stitches and high levels of craftsmanship.

Xuefang was a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University, during which period she deepened her understanding of Suzhou embroidery and the techniques that were developed to better protect the embroidery from moisture and dust, which laid the foundation for it to enter the world market.

She began her lecture by instructing the audience on the correct sitting position for creating embroidery, advising that both feet should be firmly on the floor: “When you sit on half of the stool, your spine will stay straight and you will not feel tired even if you are embroidering for a whole day,” she said.

She emphasised that embroidery was not only craftsmanship, but that it had a close connection with life and human beings’ hearts and bodies: “The essence of embroidery is to adjust your breathing and make it follow the stitching pace,” she added.

During the lecture, she and two assistants guided the audience on how to embroider a flower. Two international members of staff volunteered to try threading a needle with the incredibly fine thread used in embroidery.

At the end of the lecture, Xuefang donated a work of embroidery to XJTLU Museum and said she hoped that the XJTLU Museum cultural lecture series could continue to demonstrate traditional Chinese culture.

The Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Open Day, held last Saturday 25 March, attracted approximately 1,500 prospective students and their parents from across China.

Admissions consultations, exhibitions by departments and a campus tour, together with a series of lectures, were all part of the day.

In his welcome speech, Professor Youmin Xi, executive president of XJTLU, said that XJTLU aims to develop students into competitive global citizens who are equipped with international perspectives, professionalism, cross-cultural leadership skills, and entrepreneurial and innovative spirits.

He said: “This year, XJTLU will begin some experimental classes to explore other models for developing advanced applied talents.

“By cooperating with enterprises to combine industrial demands into our programmes, XJTLU will train talented professionals who are equipped with industrial and managerial skills and knowledge. This will make it easier for students to enter the jobs market and become leaders.”

Dr Minzhu Yang, XJTLU’s vice president, spoke about XJTLU’s unique educational philosophy and model and its admission policies: “XJTLU’s recruitment plan in 2017 is similar to last year. We’re planning to recruit 80 students in Guangdong Province through autonomous admission,” he said.

Kehan Lu, together with her brother, travelled from Guangdong Province having already applied for BA International Business.

She said: “I asked for leave from school to visit XJTLU and attend the open day to learn more about the University, which I have known about since 2015 from graduates of my high school. I am impressed by its approach to developing students into global citizens, as well as the relaxed campus environment.”

Zicheng Chen (pictured below, second from the right), who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Shanghai, attended the open day with his father and classmates.

He said he was interested in BEng Architecture and that he wanted to find out more information about how he could be admitted as a student from Taiwan.

Another prospective student Keyan Zhu (pictured below, right), who was born in Hong Kong, is currently a second-year student at No. 2 High School of East China Normal University, Shanghai.

He attended the open day with his mother and was interested in the BA Digital Media Arts and BA Film and Television Production programmes, saying: “I was impressed by XJTLU’s educational model, which combines the best of West and East.”

His mother, Xiaoqing Wu (picture below, left), added: “I agreed with what the presidents said today that students need to be responsible for themselves as adults. I hope Keyan can pursue his interests after entering university.”

Wen He (pictured below), father of Haoren He, a second-year XJTLU student studying BSc Information Management and Information Systems, travelled from Changsha, Hunan Province. He said: “This is my first visit to XJTLU - I wanted to gain more understanding about the University. My son had other choices two years ago but he finally selected XJTLU. After attending today’s event, I think it has proven to be the right decision.”

Frank Liu (pictured below) who is currently working in Nanjing wanted to find more information about applying to XJTLU’s postgraduate programmes, especially those offered by International Business School Suzhou.

Christian Nolf, from the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, gave a talk on reimagining historic landscapes at the TEDx Suzhou event.

The event was attended by over 1,000 people and focused on the theme of time. Christian’s talk described the urban design philosophy of preserving historic memory and elements from the past whilst also reimagining older elements to invent and inspire the future.

Christian, who is co-director of the Research Institute of Urbanisation and programme director of the MSc Urban Design at XJTLU, began his talk by looking at the historic context of Suzhou’s urbanisation, with recent developments proceeding at a breakneck pace:

“The changes that took place in Suzhou between 1991 and 2004 are unprecedented in the history of urbanisation,” he said. “It could be compared to what happened in Europe during the Industrial Revolution, though here it happened 10 times faster and on a much vaster scale.”

As Suzhou and the surrounding cities grew, new highways, canals, and man-made lakes appeared. This constituted a huge transformation in a very short period of time. It was this massive change that attracted Christian to move to Suzhou and begin studying its urban development.

“I discovered that along with this fantastic wave of urbanisation came a huge wave of erasure,” he said. “I’m not nostalgic. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t build cities, but the most successful cities are the ones that manage to integrate elements of the past into their fabric.

“Good cities need old and new buildings and structures in order to ensure a diversity of uses, to make the city affordable for everyone and to reinforce their identities.”

He explained how this philosophy is driving his project, the ongoing Water Urbanism Workshop, organised in collaboration with KU Leuven in Belgium and Suzhou University of Science and Technology to find solutions for the ongoing development of the Jiangnan Wetlands region, near Suzhou.

“The region is famous for its water towns and for its fantastic landscape of ponds that when seen from above resembles a patchwork quilt or a carpet of mirrors. We’re working with the city planners of Suzhou to imagine design solutions for the future of this region,” he said.

He described how the workshop participants began by looking at the region’s past and how it became what it is today. They learned that the area’s unique landscape was man-made and artificial - the result of generations of hard work. The area has had several different functions over time and will have to deal with new challenges in the future.

“Most of Shanghai’s water supply comes from this area,” said Christian, noting one of these challenges.

“Another challenge is to connect the different water towns into a network, and stimulate the regeneration of old villages. The area could play a role in the development of renewable energy, or more environmentally-friendly forms of agriculture. Ultimately, these different functions could be combined to definitively give a new life to this ancient landscape.”

Other speakers at the event included product designer David Yuan, who spoke about emotional communication in product design, and Yifan Li, who presented on the moral implications of self-driving cars. There were also performances by the Suzhou Philharmonic Orchestra and Tiger Taiko drumming group.

The event, which was held in the Grand Theatre of Suzhou’s Culture and Expo Center, featured live simultaneous translation, with audience members listening to translations in English or Chinese through personal audio headsets.

XJTLU was principal sponsor of the event and promotional videos were shown highlighting the University’s new South Campus, the achievements of its graduates, and the various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes available.

TEDx Suzhou is a local, independent nonprofit organisation under the license of TED that organises talks and events to spread ideas, encourage youth development, and motivate action.