Our people

After finishing her studies in the US, Anne moved to Beijing for a new challenge, joining Hutong School as a Program Consultant. She’s since progressed through various roles, and today uses her extensive network and knowledge of China to develop relationships with companies, agencies and embassies around the world to give their students a chance to experience China.

Ida has lived all over the world, but it was China that drew her back with its incredibly diverse cuisine, culture and people. Since settling in Shanghai, she’s been continuously amazed by the eclectic mix of old and new that characterises the country’s most international city. As Ida says, it’s hard to put into words how fascinating China is – you simply have to see it for yourself!

Fiona’s teaching career took her from a small northern town in Henan to Guangzhou and the Philippines before she decided to settle Shanghai, where she’s been working hard to help our students learn ever since. Her calm, patient attitude and clear explanations help make those difficult grammar points make sense and mastering Chinese seem much more achievable.

As a member of our logistics team, Shanghai local and football fanatic Philip works hard to ensure our students have a safe and comfortable stay in his city. One of the first people you'll meet when you arrive, he's responsible for meeting and greeting our students at the airport, and he's always on hand to help solve any problems that arise. 

Bishuai’s passion for sharing his culture and language with curious foreigners led him to pursue a career in teaching. After completing his studies, he left his hometown in Henan for Cambodia, where he spent a year teaching Chinese before heading to Shanghai. He’s been a key member of our team ever since, putting his all into making his classes enjoyable.

A stroll through Chinatown was what sparked Judith’s interest in China and inspired her to start learning the meaning of the intriguing characters she saw. A few years and a Chinese language major later, she understands a few thousand and now helps others get to China, settle in and discover for themselves why she can’t live without stinky tofu, dockless bikes and WeChat!

With an open flight ticket and the chance to go anywhere, Catalina boldly hopped on a plane and travelled over 19,000km from home to see what China had to offer. She quickly became enthralled with Shanghai’s fast-paced lifestyle and endless opportunities and hasn’t looked back since. When she’s not busy helping our students, she enjoys challenging locals to a game of Mahjong.

After visiting China as a child and not fully appreciating it, Megan decided to return as an adult to reconnect with her roots, be with her family and learn more about the country’s vast history and culture. She’s lived in various cities since arriving in China and is now based in Shanghai, where she works hard to help more and more people around the world discover Hutong School.

Born and raised in the Chinese capital, Guo Dou is a Beijinger through and through. Based where else but Beijing, he has a wealth of Peking related stories to share with our students and enrich their experience. Living by the slogan ‘be strong and healthy and work hard for 50 years’, if he’s not busy in the office, you’ll find him swimming in frozen lakes!

After leaving his hometown in Henan for Beijing over a decade ago, Yin hasn’t looked back since. A true Peking culture, history and food enthusiast, he loves sharing travel tips with our students, so they can see for themselves why he never left the vibrant capital. When he’s not busy helping you settle in, you'll find him playing sports, listening to music or enjoying a good book.

Hope is an essential member of our Beijing team; without her, there would be no hope! She loves her role of getting to know our students and helping them settle in, make friends and explore the city. Her passion for good food, organising events and exploring interesting places means you can’t leave Hutong School not knowing more about Chinese culture and language!

Born in China’s northernmost province, Heilongjiang, Li Na majored in teaching Chinese as a second language. Since graduating, she’s gained over 10 years’ experience and an extensive knowledge of the Chinese language. Using various teaching methods to suit the different needs of her learners, Li Na makes the challenge of learning Mandarin much less daunting!

Local Beijinger Yumi is fiercely proud of her heritage and loves spreading Beijing’s rich and colourful culture. She aims to make her classes fun and teach her students not only about the language, but also about the culture behind it. As well as being an outstanding teacher, Yumi is also skilled in the kitchen, and she loves preparing delicious local Chinese dishes for our students to taste!

Heilongjiang native Guo Li has called Beijing home since 2002. She’s grown to love what she calls the nation’s “thrilling and challenging” capital, where she enjoys teaching Chinese to foreign students from around the world. She believes that working closely with people from different backgrounds helps enrich her personality, and that though it might not be the easiest language to learn, it’s certainly rewarding!

Experienced teacher Bibi helped hundreds of Hutong School students reach their Chinese learning goals before becoming our Education Manager. Today she oversees our teaching team, helping to maintain our high standard of teaching and ensure our students get as much out of their Hutong School studies as possible.