Another alumnus named Kevin who graduated from a Wellington school in Shanghai came from a family in Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, where there was a tradition of making huishan niren, clay figure handicrafts.
After receiving his university education abroad, he returned to China and modernized the concept of the traditional art form by combining it with coffee.
"He runs a coffee shop where the clay figures are exhibited and sold. Such fusion allows the traditional Chinese art form to be more accessible and appreciated by a younger, global audience," says Qiao.
Wellington College China is scheduled to open its first school overseas in San Francisco in the fall of 2026, providing immersive English and Chinese bilingual education.
"The school in San Francisco will offer education to the offspring of overseas Chinese and a lot of non-Chinese people who see the advantages of learning the Chinese language and culture," Qiao says.