On 11 May 2023, Minister Yang Xiaoguang from the Chinese Embassy in the UK attended the 2023 International Chinese Language Day event and delivered a speech. Katharine Carruthers OBE, Strategic Director for UCL's delivery of the Department for Education's Mandarin Excellence Programme, Joan Deslandes OBE, Head Teacher of Kingsford Community School, and more than 120 teachers and students from Anglo-European School, Christ’s College Finchley, Elms Academy, Kensington Park School, Kingsford Community School, and St Catherine College took part in the event.

Minister Yang welcomed all the teachers and students participating in the event, saying that countries in the world, more than ever, need to understand each other better, promote people-to-people bonds, enhance dialogues among civilsations, and achieve common goals. He noted that China is implementing a new development paradigm and new development concept, which will provide unlimited opportunities to the world. Mastering Chinese will open a window to embrace the future. He expressed hope that the younger generation of China and the UK will become ambassadors of friendship through language learning, learn more about and from each other, reduce barriers and misunderstandings, promote mutual learning between the Chinese and British cultures, and contribute to the healthy and stable development of China-UK relations.

At the event, students took part in interactive workshops such as opera facial painting, ink-blowing painting of plum blossoms, paper art, calligraphy and martial arts, and spent a wonderful time experiencing the beauty of the Chinese language and culture.