Shanghai Art Collection Museum

Amazing Shanghai-City Tea Salon successfully held at British Library

On the evening of April 24 (local time), the King’s Library Gallery at the British Library in London was filled with spring warmth and brilliant lights. The "Amazing Shanghai - City Tea Salon", guided by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality, hosted by Shanghai United Media Group, and co-organized by Shanghai Art Collection Museum and IP Shanghai, was magnificently inaugurated at this iconic cultural landmark.

This event marked an important China–UK cultural exchange following UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China. The event received a correspondence from the UK Prime Minister's Direct Communication Unit, in which he expressed high praise for the close exchanges between Chinese and British cultural sectors in recent years. He congratulated the event on its successful launch and expressed hope that it would serve as a catalyst to strengthen the longstanding sister-city relationship between London and Shanghai.

Correspondence from the UK Prime Minister's Direct Communication Unit

The event was attended by a large group of distinguished guests, including over a hundred guests from politics, business, culture, finance, media, and academia (Oxford, Cambridge, and other leading universities). Among the prestigious attendees were: Zhang Zhixin, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK; Ma Xiaohong, President of Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG), Chairperson of Shanghai International Cultural & Communication Association; Zhang Li, Director of the China National Tourist Office in London; Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby; Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum; Laura Pye, Director of the National Museums Liverpool; Jamie Andrews, Senior Director of Development and Engagement, British Library; Gordo Brough, Chairperson of the Henry Sotheran's Rare books, Co-organizer; Patrick Schumacher, Chief Architect of Zaha Hadid Architects (designer of iconic buildings such as the Italian National Art Museum and Beijing Daxing Airport); and Gary Millar, Chairperson & President of Liverpool- China Partnership.

King's Library Gallery full of distinguished guests

The opening ceremony hosted by Hu Muqing, President of Shanghai Art Collection Museum, and Tang Siyu, DPhil Candidate in Anthropology, University of Oxford

Zhang Zhixin, Minister, Chinese Embassy in the UK, delivered remarks

Ma Xiaohong, President of Shanghai United Media Group & Chair of Shanghai International Cultural Communication Association, delivered remarks

Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, delivered remarks

Guests toasted with tea to celebrate the event’s opening

Tea performance by Zhang Wenhua, Senior Tea Artist

Solo erhu performance of “Ten Thousand Horses Galloping” by Ma Xiaohui, Erhu Virtuoso, China's National Class-One Performer

Guqin (Chinese zither) performance of “Flowing Water” by Shi Yunlong, Guqin Inheritor

Kunqu Opera “Peony Pavilion” performance by Zhao Jinyu, inheritor of the Kunqu Opera

The event launched the Shanghai city photography exhibition Sip Shanghai · Stories Through the Lens, featuring over 50 works by photographers from China, the UK, the USA, Poland, Indonesia, and other countries. Through the lens of cultural exchange, guests experienced Shanghai’s skyline and the blend of historical and modern cityscapes, as well as the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures.

Historic buildings, such as the former site of Leichde College, quietly told the long history of China–UK exchanges. Moments of everyday life—F1 champion Lewis Hamilton winning the 2026 Shanghai Grand Prix, Olympic champion Ben Maher jumping obstacles at the 2025 Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour, Prime Minister Starmer enjoying a butterfly pastry at Yuyuan Garden, or the “subway reader” capturing local tea culture—were all translated into tangible cultural symbols, leaving guests with lasting impressions of Shanghai’s elegance and the vitality of Sino-British interaction.

Guests left messages expressing admiration for Shanghai's urban charm and goodwill

toward China-UK cultural exchange.

The “Amazing Shanghai ·City Tea Salon” follows the 2025 Shanghai–London cultural dialogue “Our Water: Flowing from Shanghai — Intercultural Dialogues Among World Cities”, once again using the city and tea as media to foster connections. Organizers hope this initiative will further implement the consensus of Chinese and British leaders, advance the long-term strategic partnership between the two countries, and support deeper urban cultural exchanges.

Other distinguished guests included Natalie Melton, President of Crafts Council; David Ferry, President of Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers; Charles Williams, President of Royal Watercolour Society; Ralph Rogers, Regional Head China of British Council, Emma Lowe, Director of London Book Fair; Helen Dorey, Deputy Director of ir John Soane’s Museum; Kai-chuan Chao, Head of International Partnerships, V&A Museum; Antoaneta Becker, Director of Consumer Economics, China-Britain-Business-Council; Frankie Kubicki, Director of Charles Dickens Museum, etc. The event also received strong support from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, British Council, and Henry Sotheran's Rare Books & Prints.