Bridges to China

‘Bridges to China’ project is a community research project connecting China and Northern Ireland through heritage and storytelling. Delivered in 2025-2026 by Queen’s University Belfast, Chinese Welfare Association, National Museums NI, and Avila Media, it is funded by AHRC Impact Acceleration Fund.

Over the course of 6 workshops project participants selected objects from the collection at National Museums NI and added their own personal items to research, reflect on and share stories. This has resulted in a co-curated digital resource that documents new interpretations of the collections through storytelling, photography, audio and visual media. The resource offers richer and more inclusive understandings of Chinese heritage and of the longstanding connections between China and Northern Ireland.

Thanks to the community research project ‘Bridges to China’ the Chinese community living in Northern Ireland supported through the Chinese Welfare Association have generously shared their expertise and knowledge of the collections. Insight into this selected collection was also provided by Queen’s University Belfast staff Dr Emma Reisz, Dr Aglaia De Angeli, and Dr Liang Wang.