The theme of our second annual conference is "Uncovering Innovation". It will be a one-day exploration of how innovation in all its forms and across disciplines is happening in this city.

Beijing
China

Dr. Zhi Lu

Luzhi is one of the most respected panda experts in the world, and one of China’s most esteemed conservationists. She is a leader in the country’s struggle for environment and wildlife protection and in 2002 founded the Shan Shui Conservation Centre. Her work focuses on reconciling urban dwellers with their natural roots. She is also the Director of the Center for Nature and Society and a Professor of conservation biology at Peking University.

Martin Barnes

Martin is pushing the boundaries of creativity as an artist, videographer and creative director pioneering new approaches to advertising and visual arts. Taking unique influences from the Beijing community,Martin has worked with companies from around the world to develop innovative marketing campaigns. He is also a regular contributor to theCityart.org, which integrates everyday urban environments directly with their work.

Dr. Xie Guangming

Guangming Xie is leading a team developing cutting-edge technology in the field of robotics. In his Beijing lab, he is creating autonomous robotic fish drawing from influences in the natural world. He is Professor of Engineering at Peking University’s Intelligent Control Laboratory and the founder of the Robot Water Polo Game.

Adam Kidron

Adam is a serial entrepreneur and ex-music producer, currently developing a new technology that may revolutionize how people pay and listen to music. As the founder and CEO of Beyond Oblivion, Adam is challenging the way we think about piracy and offers a fresh perspective on the future of the music industry worldwide.

Sam Flemming

Sam has been a leading participant of China’s digital evolution for over 10 years, first with Chinapay.com, the original online payment platform in China, and now with CIC. As the founder and Chairman of CIC, Sam has become a pioneer of Internet Word of Mouth (IWOM) in China, providing extraordinary insight into the Chinese netizen community by systematically analysing the tens of millions of BBS and blog posts they exchange.

Lijia Zhang

Born on the banks of the Yangtze river, Lijia Zhang saw her dream of becoming a journalist crushed at the age of 16 when she was enrolled to work in her mother’s factory in Nanjing. Daring to pursue her dream, she found escape in literature and taught herself English. She is now an acclaimed author, regular contributor to the Asian Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post. Her Memoir, Socialism is great, has been published on 5 continents and she is currently finishing her first novel.

FangZhou Du

Du FangZhou (Du Ark) is a graduate student at BeiHang University’s Laboratory of environmental biology and life support technology (环境生物学与生命保障技术实验室). Studying biological and medical engineering, he researches ways to generate electricity from microorganism. His work applies to both the medical world and manned space missions.

Fang Wen

As a multidisciplinary artist, Wen Fang has been practicing calligraphy since an early age. She pursued an initial specialization in photography, graduating from the National Film, Photography and Sound Engineering School (ENS) Louis-Lumière in Paris. She is regularly exhibited around China and Europe. Her latest project, Art against Poverty, is taking her all around China working with local communities.