TEDxNew Channel Qingdao

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• David Symington

  A cross-cultural narrative researcher in Classical Studies at Oxford University & Chinese Philosophy at Fudan University. He switches fluidly between the world of the British gentleman and that of the Chinese scholar.

  David Symington(斯明诚) is a media professional and scholar of Chinese stories. He does not treat cross-cultural experience as a field of study, but as a way of living. As a British national who has spent nearly half his life in China, he has moved between two intellectual traditions — from Classical Studies at Oxford to Chinese Philosophy at Fudan University — observing, learning, and thinking at the intersection of civilizations. For the past seven years, he has worked with New Channel, leading Oxbridge admissions programs, while also supporting the Stories of China Institute Research Institute of the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy. His work centers on the roots of cultural difference between East and West, and on the belief that education can transcend language itself, serving as a bridge between cultures and value systems.

• Haoran Mao

  Dean of the School of Foreign Studies at China University of Petroleum (East China), Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, and President of the World Chinese Rhetoric Society

  His research spans discourse rhetoric, international communication, and language rehabilitation, focusing not only what is said, but on how it is said—and who it is able to be understood by. He has published over 140 papers in journals like SSCI, SCI, and CSSCI, led multiple national and educational research projects, and authored and translated many books. In 2019, his commencement address drew over 12 million views, revealing a form of academic language that carries warmth, clarity, and communicative power beyond the academic world.

• Jiacheng Liu - YOUTH

  An explorer seeking connections in cross-cultural contexts, a 2026 graduate of Jinqiu International

  Liu Jiacheng is a young speaker whose journey into the unknown began at 17, when he traveled alone across Central Asia and North Africa. Navigating unfamiliar languages, cultures, and uncertain routes, he experienced firsthand the challenges of independence and the value of seeing the world through others' perspectives. He later joined a volunteer teaching program in Nepal, where daily interactions with local students deepened his understanding of the relationship between education, opportunity, and human connection. These experiences inspired him to reflect on how trust can be built across cultural and linguistic barriers, and how uncertainty shapes personal growth. He believes that getting lost can be the beginning of finding one's way, and that exploring the unknown is one of the most meaningful paths to knowledge and self-discovery. This is the central idea of his TEDx talk.

• Jiale Weng

  Intermedia Art Creator

  A artist focused on installation and public art with a cross-disciplinary approach. Works have been featured in exhibitions including the 3rd China International Kinetic Sculpture Exhibition, Through the Body: Robotics Art in China, Fission: The Global Wave of Digital Art, and the Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Kinetic Sculpture. Recipient of the Tomorrow Sculpture Award and Yang Xiaoyang Award, with works exhibited at the China Art Palace, Shanghai How Art Museum, and Guizhou Provincial Museum. Member of the Kinetic Art Organization (KAO) China Chapter. From 2024 to 2025, served as an external faculty member in the Dep. of Intermedia Art at Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts. In 2025, appeared on the China Media Group program Chinese Ink Painting Conference, with an original artwork broadcast on CCTV-10. Has created projects for Huawei Luxeed S7 and Tencent Honor of Kings, exploring the intersection of art, tech, and public space through experimental and site-based practice.

• Lianzheng Wang 大正

  A Chinese runner who continually pushes his limits between the camera and the racecourse. Some chase the finish line — he chooses to keep starting again

  As a well-known marathon blogger and professional marathon runner, he achieved national elite marathoner status in 2023 and has built an online following of over ten million. He shares his training routines, race moments, and running insights through video, transforming the generally acknowledged "solitary sport", long-distance running into something shared and visible. As a professional athlete, he has constantly improved his personal best across races in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuxi, Berlin, and beyond, steadily shaping his own rhythm through both the track and time. For him, running is more than achievements — it is an ongoing self-dialogue, where everyday life becomes endurance, and endurance becomes a way of living.

• Mijie Li

  Director/Producer

  Over the course of a 12-year creative career, Mijie has collaborated with Oscar and Emmy Award winners and worked with leading global broadcasters and platforms including the BBC, Netflix, MTV, NHK, ZDF, Tencent, Youku, and CCTV. She was co-producer of the Oscar-winning documentary *American Factory* and later served as China-based producer for *Ascension*, shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards. Her debut feature documentary *Confucian Dream*, which she directed and produced, received recognition at major international film festivals. Beyond documentary filmmaking, she has directed and produced projects for organizations and brands such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lenovo, and Innovent Biologics, while also collaborating on fiction films, television series, and commercial campaigns. Mijie sees storytelling as both a creative profession and a lifelong journey of exploring human nature and inner transformation.

• Qihui Huang

  the ninth-generation descendant of Huang Yuanyu, the Tourism Ambassador of Weifang City, and a student at Jinqiu International QingDao

  Huang Qihui, born in 2007, is the ninth-generation descendant of Huang Yuanyu, imperial physician to Emperor Qianlong, and a high school student at Jinqiu International Qingdao. Since childhood, she has studied traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) through clinical practice with her parents and under renowned experts including Tang Zuxuan, Li Tiangui, Gao Shuzhong, and Song Zhaopu. Beyond TCM, she has participated in competitions including AMC12, AIME, ARML, the Australian Mathematics Competition, and the Asian Business Simulation. She also holds a Level-9 certificate in traditional Chinese painting. As a young ambassador for TCM culture, she shares TCM knowledge through new media, reaching over 778,000 users. At 16, her appearance on The Yellow River Culture Conference generated over 600 million online views. Through media, public speaking, and cross-disciplinary learning, she hopes to inspire young people to rediscover the value of TCM and traditional culture in contemporary life.

• Weining Li -YOUTH

  A cross-media creator dedicated to human health and well-being

  I am a cross-disciplinary creative dedicated to advancing human health and well-being, currently a Grade 11 student in the International Department of Jinling High School Hexi Campus. As President of the Student Union, I lead with empathy and a strong sense of purpose, encouraging my team to pursue truth and positive impact. Beyond school, I actively engage in biological research, study interaction design, and remain deeply interested in mental health issues. My work brings together science, art, and human connection—using storytelling, design, and technology to spark conversations about how we feel, heal, and relate to one another. Whether in the laboratory, behind a screen, or through community initiatives, I believe creativity empowers the future and can help shape a healthier, more human-centered world. I hope to share some of my reflections so far, and I also look forward to learning from all of you.

• Xia Liu

  Founder of the first offline adoption event in Qingdao. She has turned “Adoption Day” into a gentle festival in this city

  Founder of Qingdao Adoption Day and initiator of Qingdao’s first stray animal rescue and adoption team. Her connection with stray animals began 15 years ago. Since 2011, she has been on the way of promoting Qingdao Adoption Day without pause, continuously advocating animal rescue and promoting adoption as a new, conscious lifestyle choice. For her, adoption is never a one-way act of giving, but a mutual act of approaching. She has brought Adoption Day into city markets and exhibitions, turning rescue into a more everyday and aesthetically present form of public expression. What she has done reshapes how people understand the gentle and equal relationship between humans and animals.

• Xin Ai - YOUTH

  An explorer seeking understanding between the law and human nature, a 2026 graduate of Jinqiu International

  Ai Xin is an international school student preparing to study law abroad and the Gold Prize winner of the fifth Stories of China Retold in English Challenge (Shandong Region). Growing up in a family with a legal background, she developed a strong interest in justice, rationality, and the relationship between law and language. Having studied in private, public, and international schools, she gained firsthand insight into how rules are expressed, interpreted, and applied across different educational and cultural systems. These experiences inspired her to pursue law and explore how legal principles can be communicated in ways that are accessible and meaningful to the public. She believes law is not only a discipline but also a bridge between institutions and individuals, rules and reality—an idea at the heart of her TEDx talk.

• Yanfei Shen

  A world-class table tennis champion tempered by three Olympic Games. Across 26 years at the table, she has written her own epic at the pinnacle of the sport

  A Spanish–Chinese table tennis player, three-time Olympian, and World Cup bronze medalist, and one of the defining figures in Spanish table tennis history. She picked up her first paddle at the age of five and joined the Chinese national training system at fifteen, expanding her journey from domestic courts to the European stage. She competed in three Olympic Games, Beijing, London, and Rio, and reached multiple podiums in major competitions, including a bronze medal in Women's World Cup in 2012 and a gold medal in women's singles at the 2016 Europe Top 16 Cup. After retiring from competition, she transitioned from a professional athlete to a patient mentor. She found a club and coached teenage players, ensuring that table tennis continues not only as elite competition, but a daily sport that can be enjoyed and embraced anywhere, at any time.

• Yidan Xu

  Product Innovator & Health Innovation Researcher

  Yidan Xu is a London-based product designer and innovation researcher, graduated from Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. Her work operates at the intersection of people, science, and design. Her individual work has received international recognition, including being named a UK James Dyson Award runner-up, a global top 20, and being featured by Dezeen and Reuters. Her current project is being incubated at Imperial College London, reflecting her focus on translating complex scientific challenges into accessible, real-world solutions with meaningful social impact. She is also interested in exploring cross-disciplinary collaborations and opportunities to extend the impact of her work. (She has also contributed to projects at Huawei and Xiaomi Auto, applying a human-centred design approach to complex product systems.)

• Yueying Liang - YOUTH

  A high school student interested in the humanities and architecture

  I’m a high schooler enthusiastic about architecture, art, and the humanities, with a future career goal of becoming an architect. I conducted 2 research studies and am currently organizing an expo on cultural identities in developing countries. My passion for these subjects began alongside my passion for observing and documenting my city, which I enjoy exploring when I get lost in the urban maze of Guangzhou, China. These early explorations not only connected me with my roots as a Cantonese person but also gave me insights into the real-world problems my city faces. In the future, I’m aiming to pursue architecture as a way to bridge cultural preservation with contemporary urban needs—designing spaces that not only respond to practical challenges, but also sustain the social and historical identities embedded within them.

• Zhihui Ma - YOUTH

  A young speaker who continues to explore the intersection of life sciences and self-expression, a 2026 graduate of Jinqiu International

  Ma Zhihui is an 18-year-old high school senior with a passion for music and life sciences. Although she trained in choir from childhood, she once doubted her singing ability before realizing that singing is not about perfection but authentic self-expression. Today, it has become her favorite way to connect with herself and others. Deeply interested in marine biology and neuroscience, she gained early research experience in a neuroscience laboratory, where studying fluorescent proteins strengthened her fascination with the complexity of life. She hopes to pursue biological sciences while promoting science communication and ecological conservation. Though not a natural public speaker, Ma has discovered that speaking is another way of building genuine human connection. Through her TEDx talk, she hopes to encourage others to embrace authentic expression and meaningful dialogue.