For the past 12 years, people have often asked me what is the secret behind Wellington College China’s rapid development. My answer is always ‘timing’. We began this journey just as China’s economy started to soar. Now, I see the growth of our schools and their communities. We are contributing to and benefitting from regional development, and my heart brims with pride and joy.

Wellington College China, in close cooperation with Wellington College in England, opened its first school, Wellington College International Tianjin, in 2011. In the ensuing years, it opened Wellington College Bilingual Tianjin A Level Centre and Wellington College Bilingual Tianjin Nursery, establishing the institution as a pillar of education in Tianjin’s Hongqiao District.

Dr Yang Yang, Master of Wellington College Tianjin, is a representative of the Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress and a member of the CPPCC Hongqiao District. She encourages the teaching of Chinese culture but also advocates for exchange programmes with other local schools. The College’s foreign teachers, for instance, have visited Huaxia Future Kindergarten, Yiyangdao Primary School, Nankai Middle School and Tianjin No.1 Middle School to share teaching methodologies. She has also invited nearly 80 English teachers from around the city to conduct seminars at Wellington. Moreover, she regularly holds international education forums and teacher training sessions that are open to Tianjin teachers completely free of charge.

The College is fully engaged in the wider community’s cultural activities as well, competing in traditional sporting events like the Tianjin Dragon Boat Race. Members of the College even won in the men’s, women’s and mixed 200-metre races.

Kindness and Responsibility are core values at all Wellington College China schools. As such, pupils, parents and teachers are encouraged to make a positive impact on their community through a wide variety of charity initiatives. Recently, the College’s teachers and staff raised money for the charity Educating Girls of Rural China with a cycling and walkathon. Through activities like Pink Day and Movember, the College community has raised money and awareness for breast cancer research and men’s health issues. Additionally, the Liddell Service Project has presented Wellingtonians with the opportunity to engage in service learning. Named after Eric Liddell, the Tianjin-born Scottish Olympian made famous by the film Chariots of Fire, pupils planned and organised a day of sporting activities for children of the nearby Peizhi School, which serves disabled children. The College also regularly organises donation drives for underserved communities. Recently, for instance, they collected 400 kilograms of clothing to send to Tibetan children in Gannan Autonomous Prefecture.

The College has also received numerous honours for its outstanding academic achievements, faculty, team-building initiatives and more. As such, the College will never forget its original aspiration of serving the community and will continue to make contributions to community development.

When Lujiazui Group invited Wellington College China to open a school in Qiantan, the area was little more than a constellation of empty lots. But Wellington College China shared the Lujiazui Group’s ambitious vision for Qiantan, and its second school, Wellington College International Shanghai, became its first major construction project. Today, the neighbourhood is thriving. It is home to Wellington College International Shanghai and its bilingual sister, Hiba Academy Shanghai, as well as a host of international businesses, retail outlets, restaurants, hotels and high-rise residences.

Mr Yibing Pan, General Manager of the Strategic Investment Department of Lujiazui Group, said: “Qiantan is positioned as an international community and a gathering place for a headquarters economy, with a philosophy of being both livable and business-friendly. A community like this requires strong educational resources. Wellington College Shanghai and Hiba not only meet the educational needs of the families living in Qiantan and surrounding areas but also attract investment here.”

Ms Peiyu Yao, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Development Co., Ltd., added: “The College’s excellent teaching quality and rising popularity are exceedingly attractive to the executives of well-known companies who have children of schooling age. Moreover, Qiantan’s pleasant surroundings are highly conducive to raising and educating a child.”

Qiantan’s rapid development also benefits the growth of the College. As a growing number of enterprises open in Qiantan, the pupils who live and study there enjoy a diverse environment full of opportunities to learn about the world of business. For instance, Hiba Academy Shanghai pupils recently took a field trip to Covestro AG, a German materials company with offices in Qiantan, to learn how STEM learning is applied to the manufacturing industry. Nearby Raffles Hospital has proven itself to be an invaluable partner for Hiba Academy Shanghai as well. It offers guidance programmes for pupils who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical profession. Moreover, in the long run, Qiantan has become a prime location for companies looking to recruit young and promising talent.

Wellington College China’s arts activities also enrich the Qiantan community. Hiba Academy Shanghai, for instance, once held a pupil art exhibit in the nearby Crystal Plaza shopping mall. Under the theme of ‘Imagine’, it showcased creative works in sculpture, ceramics, textiles, woodworking, metal and more while attracting shoppers. The same mall has also hosted Wellington Shanghai’s Winter Market, which presented an opportunity for the Wellington Community to interface with local businesses and celebrate the festive winter season.

Pupils and staff from Wellington and

Hiba Shanghai participate in the

2022 OSC Triathlon Corporate Challenge

Hiba Shanghai pupils performing at 

FoW Winter Market

at the Qiantan Life Festival 

 

Lujiazui Group sees a future full of opportunities for cooperation with Wellington College China. “I hope that in the future Wellington and Hiba School will be a calling card not only for Qiantan but also the entirety of Pudong,” says Pan.

Comprising Wellington College International Hangzhou, Hiba Academy Hangzhou and Hiba Academy Hangzhou, Wellington College Hangzhou opened in 2018 in the city’s Xiaoshan Science and Technology City (the area has since merged with the Jiangnan Science and Technology City). The school has been a vital educational resource to the surrounding area ever since. Its presence has, in turn, helped to spur other development. Several five-star hotels and commercial complexes like The Ring have opened since 2018. Last September, Hangzhou Metro Line 19 (Airport Rail Express) went operational, shortening the journey from the Jiangnan Science and Technology City to the nearby international airport to less than five minutes. The school’s presence has also had a positive impact on local residential real estate.

Stewart Brown, Wellington College Hangzhou’s Head of Senior School, said: “The ideal international community is diverse, inclusive and friendly. Our College attaches great importance to the community and will focus on making contributions to the community.” 

Roundtable at Transfar’s Second Science and Technology Innovation Conference 

Wellington College Hangzhou Choir

performing Beijing Winter Olympics

theme song "Snowflake" 

at the conference’s

opening ceremony

Wellington College Hangzhou pupil

art on exhibit at the conference

Since its founding, Wellington College Hangzhou has been a driving force for cultural development within the community. For instance, Transfar Group and Hiba Hangzhou Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition will provide funding and support for 30 educational innovation projects for teacher-training students over a period of three years. It is aimed at advancing rural education.

The College has likewise benefitted from being part of a strong community. The Transfar Group has built an exclusive international teachers’ residence for the College. The facility can accommodate more than 100 families. Xu Guanju, Chairman of the Transfar Group said: “The establishment of Wellington College Hangzhou has brought us closer to achieving our goal of making the Jiangnan Science and Technology City a leader in infrastructure development and a community that attracts world-class talent.”

Hiba Academy Nantong, the newest member of the Wellington College China Family, opened its doors to pupils in September 2022. Considering the ongoing challenges brought about by the global pandemic, this was a remarkable achievement. This was in no small part due to the strong support that Hiba received from the city of Nantong, Suxitong Industrial Park and other sectors.

During construction, municipal leaders regularly visited to offer guidance and direction. On one visit, Wu Xinming, Secretary of the Nantong Municipal Party Committee and the city’s mayor, said, “The establishment of a bilingual school like Hiba in Nantong is a manifestation of the economic integration of the Yangtze River Delta, which not only meets the region’s diverse educational needs but also helps to attract talent to Nantong, thereby facilitating Suxitong Industrial Park’s development as it fosters a high-quality business environment.” Hiba Academy Nantong is still very young, its teaching has received wide acclaim from pupils and parents, and we see endless opportunities for engagement with the Suxitong community.