Our team
Find out more about the people that make up the Confucius Institute.
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Prof. Deljana Iossifova, Director
Deljana is a Professor in Urban Studies and joined the CI in 2017. Having spent a significant time living and working in China, she aims to make the CI a resource for everyone wishing to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.
View academic profile
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Prof. Xiaoqin Huang, Chinese Director
Prof. Xiaoqin Huang joined the Manchester CI in 2026. She is an Associate Professor at the School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University. With a solid academic background in TCSOL and over 30 years of experience, she has excelled in academic research and teaching and received multiple awards. Having served as Co-Director of the CI at SFSU, USA, she was awarded an honorary certificate. She is committed to promoting Chinese language education and cultural exchanges at the Manchester CI.
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Ms Karen Wang, Deputy Director
Karen moved from China to the UK in 1996. She oversaw the administrative operation of the first overseas degree programme in Singapore and currently contributes to the strategic direction and operational priorities of the Manchester CI.
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Nóra Blascsók, Marketing and Events Officer
Nóra joined the Confucius Institute in September 2023. Her role focuses on marketing the CI’s language courses and promoting and organising cultural events. She also manages the CI’s online presence and helps build new partnerships. Prior to joining CI, Nóra has had a career working in the non-profit and higher education sectors. She is passionate about intercultural communication and the arts and speaks five languages.
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Dr Tessa Harris, Support Officer
Tessa joined the CI in the summer of 2022. As the Administrative Officer, her main role is to organise Mandarin course registrations, HSK and YCT exams and cultural workshops, as well as general duties in the day-to-day life of the CI.
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Zijun Ao (Oliver), Chinese Language Tutor
Oliver joined the CI in 2026. He comes from Inner Mongolia, China – a beautiful ethnic minority autonomous region with profound cultural traditions. His research interests focus on Chinese language and cultural teaching and Chinese cultural communication. Oliver has a strong passion for teaching Chinese to people of all levels.
Email Oliver
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Guo Li (Mia), Chinese Language Tutor
Mia joined the Confucius Institute in 2026. She comes from Henan Province, the birthplace of Chinese culture. Mia has a strong passion for traditional Chinese culture, especially guzheng performance and Taichi. Her research mainly focuses on cultural communication and intercultural communication. She is looking forward to communicating with you.
Email Mia
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Yimeng Liang (Lemon), Chinese Language Tutor
Lemon joined the CI in 2026. She studies at Beijing Normal University with a research focus on second language acquisition. She has a particular interest in traditional Chinese arts, especially Chinese dance and the guzheng. Lemon hopes to help students develop their Chinese language skills while gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. She looks forward to connecting with students through language learning and cultural exchange.
Email Lemon
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Zhang Qingning (Laura), Chinese Language Tutor
Laura joined the CI in 2026. She comes from Chongqing, a renowned tourist city in China famous for its hotpot, pandas and 8D-magical urban landscape. She mainly studies Chinese language and literature, with a particular emphasis on linguistics, dialects and comparative literature. In terms of artistic talents, she is proficient in traditional Chinese arts and crafts, including Chinese painting, calligraphy, knotting and papercutting.
Email Laura
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Buyi Sima (Sybil), Chinese Language Tutor
Sybil joined the CI in 2026. She comes from Jingzhou, Hubei, the home of ancient Chu culture, and now lives in Shenzhen, a vibrant coastal city in South China. Passionate about Chinese language teaching and cross-cultural communication, she also enjoys calligraphy and papercutting and is keen to share these folk art traditions with people in Manchester. Her research focuses on international Chinese education.
Email Sybil
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Jiahao Wang (Hank), Chinese Language Tutor
Hank joined the CI in 2026. He comes from Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in Central China, one of China’s ancient capitals and the birthplace of the world‑famous Shaolin Kung Fu. His research focuses on AI empowering international Chinese education. He is dedicated to exploring innovative, tech-assisted teaching methods to make Chinese learning more engaging and accessible for learners from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Email Hank
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Yin Zhidie (Zinnia), Chinese Language Teacher
Zinnia joined the CI in 2026. She comes from Kunming, the “Spring City” of China. She is skilled in Chinese calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting. Her research interests include GAI-assisted teaching, modern educational technology and second language acquisition.
Email Zinnia
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Fanghui Zhu (Freya), Chinese Language Tutor
Freya comes from Hubei Province, the birthplace of Chu culture and the hometown of Qu Yuan. She joined the CI in 2026. She mainly focuses on international Chinese education and cross-cultural teaching methodologies. She has a strong passion for Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese painting, and Chinese dance.
Email Freya
