Co-founded by three Beijing expats and registered in Hong Kong in 2013, Cultural Keys Ltd., is a Hong Kong, UK and Chinese mainland registered company, which owns and operates several organisations, all of which work to provide expats access to traditional culture in China.
Our Aim
Cultural Keys has one simple objective: to help people access, understand and enjoy traditional Chinese culture, through the provision of unique content, workshops and services. By providing information through a variety of mediums, we hope to to help people get a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture and it’s value, thus helping people “Unlock the potential of China.”
Our Divisions
Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre
Our culture centre in Beijing’s Songzhuang Art District is where we hold the majority of our activities. We organise unique classes and events, ranging from calligraphy and painting workshops to history presentations and movie screenings, all to help people experience the most authentic traditional Chinese culture possible.
Read more about our center here. Find a list of our upcoming events here.
The Founders
 | British co-founders Nicola Doering and AJ Donnelly have been in China almost 40 years between them. Over the decades since their arrival, they have immersed themselves in all things Chinese, developing a love, understanding and respect for the people and the culture of this beautiful country. |
It is that love that is the basis of their passion and determination to help bring Chinese culture to the world, and help more people develop the same understanding and appreciation for it in the way their time being here has done for them.
Nic can be reached via email at nicdoering@culturalkeys.cn. AJ can be emailed at ajdonnelly@culturalkeys.cn and added on WeChat at AJDonnelly
Our Location
We chose Xiaopu Village, in the heart of Beijing’s Songzhuang Art District, as the location for the CK Culture Centre for many reasons. First and foremost, the tranquil environment was a welcome respite from the city centre, and lends itself perfectly to the refined art workshops we teach at the centre. Also, Xiaopu Village is home to many master calligraphers, painters and Chinese crafters, making it the perfect place to find the artists we work with on a daily basis.
Besides that, Xiaopu itself, and the larger Songzhuang area, is quite unique – it’s home to galleries, restaurants, cafes and boutiques, and an estimated 6000 artists! It is a great place to visit, whether you want to come out for the day, or simply have a walk around after one of our workshops.
Read more about Xiaopu, what you can find here and how to get here, on our blog post.
Our Services
Besides cultural workshops at the Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre, custom-made calligraphy from the CK Culture Boutique and traditional martial arts programs with CK Martial Hearts, Cultural Keys offers a range of services to meet the needs of a variety of clients all looking to get more out of their experiences in China.
We offer cultural arts and crafts workshops for corporate clients, presentations on a multitude of subjects with regards to life and culture in China, team building activities, kids culture parties, heritage walk-and-talk events for those who want to learn more about the Beijing’s lesser-known areas, and more.
A timeline of Cultural Keys Ltd.
| Date | Event |
| October 2012 | The three founders met in Beijing and started discussing how best to address the problems with accessing traditional culture in Beijing |
| January 2013 | Cultural Keys Ltd. was registered in Hong Kong |
| June 2014 | Cultural Keys met with the Shaolin Temple to discuss our ideas of working together with them. |
| June 2015 | Cultural Keys, operating as CK Martial Hearts, takes our first students to train at the Shaolin Temple |
| Nov 2016 | The CK Culture Boutique opens in downtown Beijing |
| Jan 2017 | Cultural Keys Ltd. registers in Beijing as a WFOE |
| March 2017 | We open the Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre in Xiaopu Village, in the suburbs of Beijing |
| April 2018 | The CK Culture Boutique downtown location closes and relocates to the the Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre |
| June 2018 | Cultural Keys Ltd. joins Expat Connection |
| Sept 2018 | CK Martial Hearts holds it’s 10th training program for international students at the Shaolin Temple |
| March 2019 | Cultural Keys Chinese Culture Centre expands it’s list of available subjects and programs from justy 8 to over 20 |
| July 2019 | Cultural Keys Ltd. signs a strategic Cooperation Agreement with China Travel Services (CTS) China’s largest travel services provider |
Cultural Keys is constantly expanding our range of products and services related to life and culture in China. For more information about anything listed here, or to let us know your specific requirements, please contact us or use the form below. We look forward to hearing from you!
