"There is no more exciting time to be enabling research and intellectual discourse on Asia…. the region is facing both unprecedented growth and unprecedented political, economic, environmental, and humanitarian challenges.”

We do hope that you will be able to attend the 12^th Cambridge University Land Society Whitehall Lecture which will be given by Michael Puett, the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology and the Director of the Asia Center at Harvard University on Wednesday, 10^th June 2026 at 6.30pm.  The lecture, entitled ‘HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND CHINA - STATES, MARKETS AND THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER’ will be given at the Royal Institution of Great Britain in the Faraday Theatre and will be followed by a Panel Discussion / Q & A session (see panel members below) and a drinks reception. 

The lecture by Professor Michael Puett, will be introduced by The Rt. Hon. The Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

Time:  6.30 to 9pm (registration from 6pm)

Venue: The Royal Institution of Great Britain – The Faraday Theatre, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS

Speaker: Professor Michael Puett, Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology at Harvard University

Subject: ‘How should we understand China – State, Markets and the International Order’ 

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator

Quentin Peel - Former Foreign Editor, Financial Times

Panellists

Professor Michael Puett - Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology, Harvard University (Lecturer)

Professor Roel Sterckx FBA - Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History, Science and Civilisation, University of Cambridge; Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge

Professor Sterckx is a Flemish-British sinologist and anthropologist whose latest book is Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Cook Ding. He studied at the University of Leuven and pursued further studies in Taiwan, Beijing, and Cambridge. His work explores the enduring reinvention of Chinese traditions in the modern age.

Finn Lau - Political Activist; Founder and Leader, Hong Kong Liberty Movement

Finn Lau is a Hong Kong political activist known for popularising the protest strategy known as "Lam Chau". He was arrested during the 2020 New Year's Day March protests in Hong Kong. Following his release, he returned to London where he worked as a surveyor. In 2023, the Hong Kong government issued a HK$1 million bounty for his capture.

Tim Law (TBC) Deputy Director, UK-China Transparency; Former Head, British Defence Staff (China)

Tim Law previously served as British Defence Attaché to China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Mongolia. He remained resident in Beijing throughout the pandemic and has extensive expertise in researching the People's Liberation Army and broader aspects of China's hard and soft power.