Vaudine England’s latest book, Fortune’s Bazaar – The Making of Hong Kong, has been described as the best biography of this Asian port city, thanks to its emphasis on Hong Kong’s intensely varied human history.

Sparks is a vital account of how some of China's most important writers, filmmakers, and artists have overcome crackdowns and censorship to challenge the Chinese Communist Party on its most sacred ground - its monopoly on history. In traditional China, dynasties rewrote history to justify their rule by proving that their predecessors were unworthy of holding power. Marxism gave this a modern gloss, describing history as an unstoppable force heading toward Communism's triumph. The Chinese Communist Party builds on these ideas to whitewash its misdeeds and justify its rule.

Accountability at arm’s length: how should we hold public-private partnerships to account?

In this session, Professor Carolyn Heinrich will discuss the challenge of holding public-private partnerships to account with Dame Margaret Hodge. This public talk is a timely discussion, aimed at helping reconcile collaboration and accountability in a way that can inform better practice.