Jean Bacon is Emeritus Professor of Distributed Systems in the Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge. She was the first woman to be appointed as a Lecturer there in 1985. She is also an Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge and a Director of Studies in Computer Science.

Her other talents include her artwork. She has held several exhibitions at The Art Centre at King's College Cambridge. In 2016 she was asked to present a painting to the Xu Zhimo Festival of Art and Poetry. She works in watercolour and often in still life or abstract fashions. The subjects of her paintings include plants and architecture.

ANN MASSING

Ann studied Art History and Fine Art at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana and at Strasbourg University in France, then painting restoration at the Institute für Technologie der Malerei, Staatliche Akademie der bildenden Künst, Stuttgart, Germany. She taught painting restoration at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge from 1978 until 2007 where she was Assistant to the Director; she published on the history of Western painting techniques including Painting Restoration Before ‘La Restauration’: The Origins of the Profession in France, Harvey Miller 2012.
After a trip to China in 1986 she began learning Chinese Brush Painting and has continued to develop her skills in this tradition. After retiring from her profession as painting restorer, she took up printmaking as well.
Drawing on Eastern and Western practices, she has evolved her own style combining both aesthetic traditions. Ann’s artworks are often painted or printed onto handmade oriental papers and signed in the East Asian manner with red vermilion paste, often using an antique carved seal with her artist’s name Majingju.
She exhibits with the East Asian painting group Song Lin Zhai, among other, and since 2014 she has participated regularly in Cambridge Open Studios and the biannual exhibitions organized by the Cambridge Drawing Society.

DU ZHONGGAO

Du Zhonggao is a famous Taiwanese calligrapher. At the age of 16, he was admitted into the National Taichung Teachers College, Department of Chinese. In his spare time, he studied calligraphy from Lv Foting. During his study in the National Taiwan Normal University, he became a student of the great calligrapher Xie Zong’an, and studied with an emphasis on calligraphy art. Subsequently, he was admitted into the Art Institute of University of Tsukuba in Japan to study calligraphy and philology. Upon graduation, he began to teach in the Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Chinese and served as the associate professor of the Department of Fine Arts. In Du’ s calligraphy works, it can be seen that his official script is simple and vigorous. He writes Chinese calligraphy based on artistic conception so as to achieve changes within the rules, for example writing seal script in an elegant and bold manner with vigorous strokes and unique styles. The writing skills of his semi-cursive script are free and unrestricted, like flooding rain. In writing regular script, he is skilful and creates elegant and majestic script with a lively charm. Finally, his calligraphy works regardless of the script type are all naturally flowing, vigorous, varied and majestic. Du was a lecturer at the Taiwan Chinese Medical College, the associate professor at the National Taiwan Normal University and founding director at the Chinese Calligraphy and Art Society. At present, he is one of the judges of the Taiwan Art Exhibition, Taiwan Zhongshan Art Award, Taiwan Literature and Art Prize and Taipei National Museum of History and consultant at the Taiwan Chinese Calligraphy Society.

FAN GUOQIANG

Fan Guoqiang, whose literary name is Qinren (scholar), is a highly achieving national level artist, who currently enjoys a special subsidy from the State Council. Fan is talented at making all types of script, especially Zhangcao (a special type of cursive script). When writing in Zhangcao, he integrates the inner spirit of ancient masters of Zhangcao and the aesthetic preference of the era. His application of Zhangcao conforms to the ancient rules and he strives that every character can be traced back to the historical origin. Furthermore, he does not rigidly follow the ancient rules and is innovative. For instance, he flattens Chinese characters and seeks unique breakthroughs on Zhangcao, official script and clerical official script. He also equally emphasises the accumulation of knowledge and skills, and creation context. He believes that accumulation and context are both indispensable. In this way, a sense of chance that perfection can be achieved without being keen on excellence can be formed, and a sense of freedom of art and creation joy can be felt. Currently, Fan is a member of the International Exchange Committee of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, Deputy Secretary General of China International Calligraphers Association, Vice Chairman of Shandong Province Calligraphers Association, chairman of Qingdao Calligraphers Association, distinguished researcher at France Sorbonne University, and visiting professor of Guangzhou Jinan University and College of the Arts at Qingdao University of Technology.

LIU YUJUN

Liu Yujun is a young artist from China. She is currently studying Chinese painting at the China Academy of Art. Her works have been exhibited at many art fairs and galleries in China. In May 2017, she attended the Unbounded International Youth Art Exhibition in New York & Beijing, China, and won a prize.

LIU ZHENGCHENG

Liu Zhengcheng comes from the Han nationality. He is both an advocate and practitioner of innovative calligraphy. As the ancient Chinese phrased it, “the most important subtlety of calligraphy lies in spirit”. His running-regular script works, both gentle and elegant, cleverly adopted from the essence of stone rubbings and rewritten with a combination of delicacy and strength. His cursive script has the straightforwardness of Mi Fu and vigour of master of cursive script Zhang Zhi. In his lines, he intentionally or unintentionally shows the customs left by Zhang Zhi. He uses light and dark ink in a natural way. Liu is an expert in his field, and currently enjoys a special subsidy from the State Council. He is the Chief Chairman of the Chinese International Calligraphers Association, Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese Calligraphy Encyclopaedia and member of the Central Committee of the Jiu San Society. He served as Deputy Editor-in-chief for the literature company The Earth, the Deputy General Secretary and Director of the Chinese Calligraphy Association’s Academic Committee, and the President and Chief Editor of Chinese Calligraphy.

LIU ZHENGXING

Liu Zhengxing was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in 1952. Liu is a renowned oil painter and ink painter from China, he served as a member of the Chengdu Committee of the CPPCC Standing Committee. He is Director of the China Artists Association, Vice Chairman of Sichuan Artists Association and Chairman of Chengdu Artists Association. Liu has successfully launched several cultural projects and related events both on national and international levels, which extend wide influence at home and abroad, contributed to cultural development whilst receiving many compliments from both party committees and government's officials.

MATTHEW BLAKELY

Matthew Blakely is a distinguished and internationally known potter. He was born in the United Kingdom and emigrated to Australia in 1988 where he studied at the National Art School in Sydney, winning the State Medal in 1993. Of his work, he says: "I endeavour to make pots that are beautiful visually and physically, and that are a pleasure to use. Function is important to me because it influences the way a pot will be appreciated. I want my pots to be handled, felt and explored as well as being looked at. Often certain qualities present in the pot are quite subtle and will not be discovered easily or quickly."

PETER CAVACIUTI

Peter moved to Cambridge in the late 1980s to set up the Solitary Pine Studio - Gu Song Zhai, and to teach traditional brush painting. He studied with Professor Fei Cheng Wu, who was in turn a student of the distinguished painter, Xu Beihong. He completed his studies at The Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. His exhibitions include the Royal Academy, London, Salon de l' Aquarelle de Belgique, Galerie Leda Fletcher, Geneva, the Urasenke Foundation, Kyoto, Taipei Artist's Village, Taipei, Soo- chow University, Taipei and Starts Gallery Taipei. He has also researched Japanese painting techniques, which he has incorporated in his work. He is a master of the Urasenke School of Tea, Cha Do, and teaches in Cambridge.

QU LEILEI

Qu Leilei was a founding member of the 'Stars' group, the first ever contemporary art movement to appear in China and challenge it as an unwestern establishment. Now one of China's leading contemporary artists, in recent years, he has continuously created four major projects in the form of a combination of paintings and installations: ‘The Sun in My Dream- First Half of My Life’, ‘Here and Now - to Face a New Century’, ‘Everyone’s Life is Epic’, ‘Brush, Ink, Light, Shadow’ and ‘Thousands Years of Empire’. These have been exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues including for instance the Venice Biennale, the Beijing Biennale and One-man show in the Ashmolean Museum, and China National Art Museum. His works comprise a blend of classical Chinese and Western art techniques combined with modern concept. In unison, these pieces reflect the artist’s deep concern about humanity in particular today’s peoples and the conditions in which we all live. In addition to the major projects, he also paints landscape, life-drawing and still-life, with his own particular visual language. He is also a Tai Chi master. He has published seven books so far. He lectures on classic and Modern Chinese Art, in the British Museum, V&A, Royal Academy, Christie’s and Sotheby’s Institutes, London University.

SARAH BUTTERFIELD

Sarah Butterfield paints people on beaches, London tube stations at dusk, a busy street cafe and lovers on a motorbike disappearing into the shimmering summertime traffic, anything that contains a glint of fascination for the eye. She has a particular gift for light. She paints the atmosphere and the time of day. She can capture a pose and what people are feeling. Sarah has exhibited at major London galleries, including The Royal College of Art, Agnew’s, Albemarle and Frost & Reed. She has also exhibited in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Her paintings are owned by Jenny Agutter, Rt Hon Michael Portillo, Lord Coe, HRH Prince of Wales, HM The Queen and Jon Snow.

SEIU TAKAKI

Seiu Takaki is a famous Japanese calligrapher and member of the Japanese Art Exhibition. He enjoys a high reputation in the Japanese calligraphy circle and has been to China to exchange ideas on calligraphy many times. He holds the positions of Director for Kensinn Calligraphy Society and Honorary Director of Xiling Seal Engravers Society.

WILL HILL

Will Hill is a typographer, educator and visual artist whose work is concerned with type, letters and the visual properties of language. He is the author of The Complete Typographer (Thames and Hudson 2010), co-author of Art and Text (Black Dog 2011), and contributor to the Phaidon Compendium of Graphic Design (2012) and the Routledge Handbook of the English Writing System (2017). He is Deputy Head of the School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University where he leads the MA in Graphic Design and Typography, and where he recently co-curated the exhibition Graphic Constellations: visual poetry and the properties of space (Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge 2015). He holds an MA in Typeface Design from the University of Reading. His work as a visual artist deals with the typography of environment and architecture, his kinetic artwork Cosmographica was exhibited at St Peter Hungate, Norwich in 2013, and he has recently collaborated with sculptor Harry Gray on the artwork Discover and Acquire for Clare College, Cambridge.

YU HUI

Yu Hui is a female artist and was born in Nanjing in 1960. She is a member of Chinese Artists Association, a national level artist, a Fellow of China National Academy of painting and a distinguished professor of Art Research Institute, Nanjing University. She is also the Vice President of Jiangsu Academy of traditional Chinese painting.

ZHANG JIALING

Zhang Jialing's ancestors were originally from Haining, Zhejiang. He was born in the mountain city of Jialing River, Chongqing in 1942 and his literary name is Fengtang. He is a famous contemporary literati painter, calligrapher, inkstone and ceramic artist. His publications include Zhang Jialing Paintings, Fengtang Inkstones and Remarks on Art and Literature Hare Flushing Out and Falcon Swooping Down (quick flow of writer's thoughts and imagination).