New Vision Chinese School Qilin Team visit PCI
On 19 February, during the week of the Chinese Spring Festival, Dr Xunnan Li brought his research partners, the New Vision Chinese School Qilin Team, to the University of Leeds campus
to deliver a performance workshop of Chinese Hakka Qilin Dance (Unicorn Dance). The workshop included three parts: a short presentation on Qilin Dance, a performance showcase, and an interactive session in which the audience could participate.
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This event forms part of a social impact case and ongoing research developed from Dr Xunnan Li’s publication, "Performing Arts as Cultural Heritage: Innovations from a Historical Perspective", which argues that Chinese traditional performing arts, as intangible cultural heritage, need to be redefined in changing social and cultural contexts. Building on this argument, Dr Li is collaborating with the New Vision Chinese School Qilin Team to explore how Qilin Dance (as an intangible cultural heritage listed by Hong Kong government) has been redefined as revitalising by the Chinese Hakka community in the UK. Chinese Hakka people (客家), literally meaning “guest families” or “guest home” in Chinese, are often recognised as one of the most mobile communities in Chinese history. As they migrate across regions and countries, they frequently carry their cultural practices and performing arts with them. Qilin Dance, traditionally associated with the Hakka community, is one such form of performing art that has evolved through migration and historical movement. Over recent decades, as Hakka communities have settled in the UK, they have brought Qilin Dance with them as a celebratory, festive, and ritual performance that remains closely connected to cultural identity and community life. In this way, the practice reflects a broader global trajectory of sustaining intangible cultural heritage, while also contributing to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) among minority ethnic communities in the UK. 
Lunar year celebrations 2026 The research is currently funded by the University of Leeds Public Engagement Be Curious Scheme to extend its public impact. The next stage will develop a children-focused workshop and a teaching prototype for performance-based public engagement, with its first demonstration planned for the Be Curious Festival on 16 May. A photographic exhibition is also happening in the School of Performance and Cultural Industries. Dreaming Under the Bough exhibition can be found in the Hidden Gallery (Floor G). Follow the signs upon entry to the School. |
