UCL and China
Thanks to its diverse community, UCL consistently contributes to some of the world’s most pioneering research; tackles some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and consistently places among the world’s top-ranked universities.
In areas from urbanisation to neuroscience, UCL’s collaborations with Chinese partners are helping to speed up the process of discovery.
“我们为UCL与中国长期以来的精诚合作倍感自豪。牢固的关系不仅是我们与学界同行以及合作伙伴们合作的核心,也为我们共同创造有影响力的创新研究和有益于彼此的教育机会奠定了坚实的基础。
Dr Michael Spence
UCL President & Provost
UCL community
Today there are more than 15,000 Chinese students studying at UCL, 400+ staff from China, and over 30,000 UCL alumni across greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). The university stays in touch with its sizeable Chinese alumni community through its thriving online networks and regular meet ups. Find out more through the slideshow stories and links below:

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence led a delegation visit to mainland China and Hong Kong to meet with prospective students, alumni, partners and supporters.

UCL was delighted to visit the Chinese community in person after the lifting of Covid restrictions.

UCL alumna Jia Li's startup supports Chinese and UK businesses to collaborate on developing and embracing the latest sustainable building technologies. Learn more.

UCL has more than 30,000 alumni across greater China

More than 15,000 Chinese students study at UCL

From finding a graduate job to setting up her own business, alumna Linda Zhang explains how UCL has supported her to succeed.

Yijin Zhang (MA Architecture and Historic Urban Environments 2020) created a community establishing the Zhejiang Alumni Club.

Celebrating International Mother Language Day
Dr Michael Spence (UCL President & Provost) and Professor Li Wei (IOE Director & Dean) met to discuss their shared love of languages.

Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost, speaks with two recent graduates from China about UK-Chinese connections.

Five UCL students awarded Yenching Academy of PKU scholarships, a fully funded China Studies Master’s programme.

UCL graduate uses psychoanalysis to transform Chinese language learning and create her own business.

Dr Haoran Yu, who studied his PhD at UCL Biochemical Engineering, wins £200k for enzyme engineering research at Zhejiang University.

UCL alumna Sasha Shen (MA Higher Education) comes from Nanchang City in southern China, and is now an Education Consultant in London.

Professor Wu, Bartlett Professor of Planning at UCL - research into socially sustainable urbanisation to help shape Chinese urban and planning policies.


More than 85k followers for UCL on Weibo and WeChat. Check the QR codes on this page to connect.
Making a difference
Whether it's shedding new light on the universe we live in, expanding Mandarin learning in the UK, or developing innovative practice to improve global food security, UCL academics are working with Chinese counterparts to help us better understand our world and address the challenges we face. Read about some of their work here.

A new study looking at China’s oldest water pipes by researchers at UCL and Peking University shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralized state authority.

Most countries struggle to meet their 2020 climate commitments set in 2009 in Copenhagen, according to a new paper by researchers at UCL and Tsinghua University.

UCL’s Professor Federico Federici was co-investigator of a project aiding translation of information in crises, including in the 2019 Christchurch attack and in Wuhan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers from UCL and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have solved a 40-year mystery surrounding Jupiter’s X-ray aurora.

A study led by UCL and Tianjin University shows the scope of multinationals’ influence on climate change.

An innovative language programme led by UCL Institute of Education (IOE), which has helped thousands of school pupils in England learn Mandarin Chinese, has been awarded a further three years’ funding.

A new way to monitor crop production for global food security developed by scientists at UCL and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, won the Newton Prize Chair’s Award.

A team from UCL's Centre for Applied Archaeology is helping preserve endangered temple wall-paintings in Shanxi, China.

Fast-charging, long-running, bendy energy storage breakthrough by UCL and Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers.
Research, partnerships and projects
UCL has around 30 formal links with Chinese universities and research institutions, including Peking University (PKU) – UCL’s first deep strategic partner. In the last five years, UCL has published 10,000+ co-authored papers with Chinese collaborators. See below for examples of networks, initiatives and partners:
- IOE Confucius Institute for Schools
- Strategic Partner Funds with Peking University, Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- UCL-HKU Strategic Partnership projects

Over the past decade, UCL co-authored 10,000+ papers with Chinese collaborators. Their research has been cited nearly 500,000 times.

Congratulations to the awardees of the first joint seed funding call from UCL and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

In the first joint seed funding call between UCL and Zhejiang University, eight outstanding projects were awarded funding.

Four projects received up to £10,000 each in a joint seed funding call between UCL and Peking University.

UCL-University of Hong Kong (HKU) Strategic Partnership Awards allocates funds annually in support of collaborative activities.

UCL and China (PDF) - This resource, published in 2018, features UCL's historic relationship with China