Council

Honorary President

Matthew Burney, CMG

HM Consul General, Shanghai

Vice President and Chair of Council, Philosophy Club Convenor
James Miller

James Miller is professor of humanities and associate dean at Duke Kunshan University. He is known worldwide as a scholar of Daoism, China’s organized, indigenous religion. He first came to China in 1987, and has lived here permanently since 2018.

Art Focus Convenor
Julie Chun

Julie Chun is an independent art historian and critic based in Shanghai for almost 15 years. Since 2013, she serves as the Art Focus Convener of the Royal Asiatic Society China, where she curates museum talks, panel discussions, artist conversations, and art historical sessions aimed at broadening public understanding of artistic objects past and present. Over more than a decade, she has held multiple roles within RAS China, including Vice President, Journal Editor, and Chair of the Library Committee. She lectures widely for diverse foreign associations in China and has taught East Asian art history as an Adjunct Professor at several global university programs in Shanghai. A regular contributor to Yishu Journal of Contemporary Art, her reviews and criticisms have been published in academic and art journals, both in China and abroad.

Membership Director
Lilly Yan

Lilly Yan is a senior corporate branding and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience spanning international education, technology and multinational sectors. A Chinese national with a background in language studies and philosophy, she holds a deep passion for cross‑cultural exchange. Over the past decade, she has immersed herself in Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, maintaining a daily practice of reciting classical texts — a learning approach she earnestly champions. She now runs an international education consultancy and a bilingual cultural community platform. As Membership Director, she looks forward to welcoming members of the Society and supporting them as they find their place and connection within this community.

Secretary
Marta Cámara

Marta Cámara is a lawyer and a published author. Her passion for culture and exploration is matched by her international life experience—having lived in Taipei, Singapore, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Ecuador, Spain, and China. She is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Chinese, embodying a truly global perspective. She has served as a Secretary for the last 5 years; this is her sixth term.

Film Club Convenor
Peter Valerio

Film has been part of my life since I was a small child.  Beginning in my 20’s, I began a personal quest to explore world cinema, which led me to co-found a weekly film discussion group in my town in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  We had weekly discussions regarding new releases and classic films.  That film group allowed me to engage with a number of local film critics and other cinephiles in our area, who helped me identify, watch, learn more about, and discuss films from various regions in the world.  After completing my PhD in Physics, I began to pursue a Master's in Film Studies before my move to Asia a decade and a half ago. 

While my professional life took me into science education, my cinephilia never waned—I still watch about two films a day. This unique background allows me to approach cinema with both a humanist's love for story and a scientist's eye for structure. I am excited by the prospect of weaving together these threads—my formal film studies, deep regional experience, and lifelong passion—to curate engaging programming for the RAS Film Club. 

Journal Editor
Melinda Liu

Melinda Liu is editor of the Royal Asiatic Society China Journal. She opened Newsweek’s first Beijing bureau in 1980, and has lived and worked in mainland China for nearly three decades as a U.S. foreign correspondent. In addition to reporting on China’s post-Mao modernization, she has covered conflicts and military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia and Haiti. Liu won the 2006 Shorenstein Journalism Award in recognition of her reporting on Asia, and in 2017 co-directed the documentary film, “Doolittle Raiders: A China Story”

Convenor of "Stories of Things"
Robert Martin
 
Robert Martin is a former banker who has lived in Asia over 40 years. With an academic background that incudes Asian studies, he has immersed himself in the arts and culture of the region. Robert conceived the Stories of Things convener group in 2018, and has led it since that time.

Convenor of History Club
Felix Goodbody

Felix Goodbody is a lecturer at Shanghai International Studies University. He holds a BA and PhD in history from the University of Liverpool and an MSc in the history of science from the University of Manchester. His research interests include the history of medicine and Sino-foreign encounters during the Republic of China period.

Convenor of Book Club
Yanfeng Li

Yanfeng Li (李延风) holds a PhD in Chinese Literature from the University of Hawaii. Following eleven years of teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and the CIEE Shanghai Center at East China Normal University, he transitioned to independent research and creative writing. His current focus is the regional cultures of Qinling and Basha between Shaanxi and Sichuan, a study that inspired his acclaimed trilogy, Distant Mountain Trails (远山古道三部曲), and other literary works.

Administrative Manager 
Kelsi Hang Su

Kelsi Hang Su(苏杭) is a curator, architect and writer. Su received her Master of Architectural Design and Theory from Tongji University and worked as the curator at the Shanghai Study Center (HKU) for 6 years. She has successfully curated over 40 exhibitions of architectural works, research exhibitions and document exhibitions, published 20+ papers and articles in journals and magazines, and participated extensively in publications and public education programs.

WeChat Editor
Simone Wang

Simone has been with RAS China for many years. She played a key role in establishing RASSH’s first official WeChat platform and has continued to oversee its operations to this day.

Simone graduated from the University of Melbourne, and spent her high school and university years in the city of Melbourne. After returning to China, she joined the Dean’s Office at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) as a research staff in Faculty of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, later serving as Executive Director at Center of Global Development at its Publishing Group. She then joined at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) as a Curriculum Design Manager for executive education, developing business curriculum frameworks for its entrepreneur cohorts. After leaving business schools, she now lives with her husband in both China and SEA, joining the family business with her husband, working in the maritime offshore segment of the oil and gas industry.