2023 VCSIA Innovation Award Winner-Qinglan Du
Qinglan is a first-year law student at Christ’s College. She is an international student originally from Beijing, but grew up moving frequently between countries because her parents work as war journalists. She lived in London, Jerusalem, and most recently a small village in Malta called Ta’Xbiex.
When she lived in Jerusalem, she started an environmental initiative called Cleaning Up Jerusalem where she organised weekly trips to pick up trash in nature reserves. Participants came from secondary schools and universities all across Jerusalem. Upon moving back to her hometown Beijing, she continued the project as Cleaning Up Beijing, attracting over 90 participants, including students, parents, and teachers. In 2021, she was able to secure funding to expand her project from the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools. Before she graduated from high school, she gave her project over to a few passionate students and teachers who are continuing to host cleanups and make a difference in Beijing.
Aside from that, Qinglan is also hugely passionate about music. she has been singing for as long as she can remember, and since 2019, she has been singing for an important cause. Living in Jerusalem opened her eyes to the atrocities of war. Following her journalist parents to report on the Israel-Palestine conflict, she witnessed firsthand Palestinians burning tires, launching kites attached with explosives, and Israeli soldiers reciprocating with gunshots. She was inspired to join the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, a peacebuilding music and dialogue program for young Israelis and Palestinians. As the only foreigner in the choir, she was often a middle ground for peers from both sides of the conflict. She helped them form friendships and mediate conflicts. But being the only foreigner came with many challenges. She struggled to learn Hebrew and Arabic songs, and sometimes to understand what others were saying. But as the years passed, the other singers in the choir became her closest friends and they wrote songs together in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. This was not only a symbol of their friendship, but a symbol that achieving peace was truly possible.
In Cambridge, Qinglan hopes to continue taking social action where her interest lies. Currently, she is the First Year Representative at Christ’s College and the Events Officer in the International Students’ Campaign. Over Easter break, she participated in her college’s Telephone Campaign, calling alumni and raising money for the college’s student support initiative; she was also sponsored by the law faculty to undergo the Amicus Death Penalty Training, which was a very valuable and eye-opening experience. But she thinks her social action journey has just begun and hopes to do lots more throughout her time at Cambridge. With this award, Qinglan will stay motivated and eager to be a driving force for change, even in the face of challenges.
