UEL marks lunar new year with global exchange
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Published
03 March 2026
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The University of East London (UEL) marked the Year of the Fire Horse with a 10-day celebration of culture and creative exchange. Based at its Docklands campus, the programme brought together international collaborators, students and local industry, reinforcing UEL’s role as a London hub for global creative collaboration.
Centred at the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability (RDCS), the programme delivered an eclectic schedule of workshops, exhibitions and hands-on events that translated cultural exchange into practice. Developed in partnership with UEL’s /between-people-galleryBetween People Gallery and its Regenerative Fashion Archive - with support from the Schools of Architecture, Computing and Engineering; and Arts and Creative Industries - the initiative demonstrated how global partnerships can be embedded within London’s creative and educational landscape.
The celebrations opened with a formal address from Fu Bo, Vice Dean of Guangdong Industry Polytechnic University, who reflected on shared commitments to practice-based education, sustainability and innovation within the creative arts, while extending New Year greetings for the Year of the Fire Horse.
Hands-on cultural exchange followed. London-Macau-based comic and ‘zine artist Wilson So led a series of Chinese calligraphy workshops, introducing students and staff to the tradition of writing Fai Chun - red paper banners inscribed with auspicious messages and displayed during Lunar New Year. The sessions placed heritage craft within a contemporary London context, offering participants direct engagement with centuries-old artistic practice.
A wellbeing session based on Tao Calligraphy and Traditional Chinese Medicine encapsulating themes of ‘Peace Love and Harmony’ was held by local practitioner Kim McNeilly
Industry insight and archival legacy
The programme also strengthened ties between education and enterprise. UEL alumnus and Honorary Doctorate recipient Keith Cheng donated garments from the latest Li-Ning Chinese Winter Olympics collection, recently presented at Milan Fashion Week.
The pieces - blending technical sportswear innovation with cultural storytelling - offered students rare insight into how global fashion systems intersect with national identity, performance design and health and wellbeing through sport, supporting UEL’s Year of Health.
Now on display within the Regenerative Fashion Archive, the garments will be permanently housed by UEL’s Olympic Studies Research Centre, creating a lasting research resource linking sport, sustainability and design history.
International collaboration, local impact
A centrepiece of the 10-day programme was the International Fusion Exhibition of Art and Design, delivered in collaboration with Guangdong Industry Polytechnic University. Showcasing interdisciplinary student work spanning fashion, fine art, graphic communication and product design, the exhibition demonstrated how globally connected education can remain rooted in London’s creative ecosystem.
The celebration also deepened industry knowledge exchange. Andrew Lam of creative agency Touch London supported the UK enterprise dimension of the programme, enabling students and local creative partners to engage directly with UEL’s international networks. Collaboration with TLSS - a Chinese-origin fashion and football brand expanding its UK presence - further reinforced the event’s ambition to bridge London-based industry with global opportunity.
Event co-organiser Dr Naida Redgrave, senior lecturer in digital media and communications at UEL, said,
The Lunar New Year celebration at UEL is an opportunity to build community and facilitate belonging with those who mark this important occasion. It is also a powerful example of how the creative arts can bridge academia and enterprise on a global scale, linking London with international collaborators through innovation and sustainability. As Chair of the School of Arts and Creative Industries Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, I am proud that we continue to strive for meaningful cultural exchange, reflecting UEL’s commitment to being both locally rooted and globally connected.”