At the ceremony in Shanghai,  students were honoured by the Duke of Cambridge, who is currently on his first visit to China.

He gave a speech congratulating the finalists for their outstanding achievements after graduation and thanking them for their contribution to strengthen ties between the UK and China.

“Their accomplishments are testament to their talent, the quality of a UK education and the benefits of spending time abroad”

Winners from a group of 400 nominees were announced for awards in three categories: The Professional Achievement Award, The Entrepreneurial Award and The Social Impact Award.

“It was very inspiring to attend the Education UK Alumni Awards and see such outstanding individuals who have excelled not only as students, but also as professional, entrepreneurial and social leaders following their graduation,” said Barbara Woodward, the British Ambassador to China.

“Their accomplishments are testament to their talent, the quality of a UK education and the benefits of spending time abroad.”

During the event,  Zhang Xin, CEO of SOHO China, was announced as the British Council’s UK Alumni Ambassador.

SOHO China aims to advance education as a means for alleviating poverty, and has recently launched SOHO China Scholarships, which will support financial aid for Chinese students at top international universities.

With more than 135,000 Chinese students currently studying in institutions around the country, China is the UK’s biggest inbound market.

The British Council has chosen China, India and the US to focus its initial efforts in it alumni outreach campaign announced last year.