HBISP News
​The latest projects and plans for future learning and discovery
At last! Visa-free travel to China
During Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Xi Jinping at the end of January, it was announced that UK citizens will no longer require a visa to visit China. The change came into force on Tuesday 17th February (coinciding with Chinese New Year) and brings the UK into line with 50 other countries, including EU member states. It allows all UK passport holders visa-free entry into China for business, tourism, visiting friends and family, and exchange visits.
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Under the previous system, applicants had to complete a detailed online form and then attend one of the Visa Centres (in London, Manchester, Edinburgh or Belfast) to submit supporting documents in hard copy, followed by a second visit to collect the visa. In addition to the time needed to gather the required paperwork and travel to and from the Visa Centre, there was a £130 fee, and during the busy summer months the process could take three to four weeks.
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The new arrangements remove a significant barrier to travelling to China, and will make life a lot simpler for organisations like ours!
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Hopetown Darlington's Chinese New Year Celebration day
HBISP is pleased to be partially funding Hopetown Darlington’s Chinese New Year Celebration Day, supporting a programme of events that will mark one of the biggest dates in the Chinese calendar.
We have a longstanding relationship with Hopetown, last year taking 90 students from Baoding and Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province, Northern China on a visit to the railway themed attraction as part of our annual school exchange programme.
The students were eager to learn the story of the world’s first commercial railway in the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s 200th year as their province is home to China’s own first commercial railway, a harmonious link between the two places.
Hopetown’s Chinese New Year Celebration Day on 21st February will feature a range of vibrant, family-friendly activities, including traditional Chinese Lion Dancing and horse crafts drop-in sessions. The full programme of events can be viewed here.
We look forward to attending the day’s festivities and welcome members of the community to join.
Further information about the students’ visit to Hopetown is available here.
Feature in Coventry Peace Committee annual report
We were delighted to be featured in the Coventry Lord Mayor’s Committee for Peace and Reconciliation annual report. In July last year, we sent a cohort of 90 students and staff to Coventry where they enjoyed visits to many of the city’s cultural sites, including the Cathedral Ruins, the Cathedral Blitz Museum, Herbert Museum, the Transport Museum and St Mary’s Guildhall.
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This is the second year in a row our student cohort have visited Coventry and been received by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Rachel Lancaster.
Many of the Chinese students were from Baoding, a city with many parallels to Coventry (motor industry, university centre) and we hope to continue build on these links in 2026.
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During the visit, the delegation presented the Lord Mayor with an invitation from the Mayor of Baoding to, in turn, visit their city.
Shaping Future Stars: Charlton Athletic Coaches Train Next Generation of Chinese Footballers
In a new venture HBISP has teamed up with the Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) to run week-long football courses in three Hebei cities.​
Three coaches from CACT ran training sessions for over 180 aspiring footballers in typical Hebei summer conditions.
Read more here:
Celebrating the Stockton & Darlington Railway
As part of our 2025 exchange programme we will be encouraging our Chinese and UK students to explore our shared railway heritage.
This year is the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger railway – the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Also, one of our Hebei partner cities, Tangshan, is the site of the first Chinese passenger railway, albeit this was not opened until 1881.
Read more here:
