dynamic-content-widget-7e73dd0c-0f11019 - China Festival of Education

Both Not Half: Fostering belonging in a divided world

In 2019, Jassa Ahluwalia went viral with a comedy video of himself speaking Punjabi, a language he has spoken since childhood by virtue of his mixed British-Indian heritage. In an attempt to articulate his sense of self to viewers confused by his white appearance, he originated the hashtag #BothNotHalf – a rewording and a reimagining of mixed identity. His TEDx talk has clocked up over 175k views and his BBC One documentary – Am I English? – won an Asian Media Award in 2022. Both Not Half has since evolved into a radical call to action. In the fight for belonging, we must all refuse to be divided.

Jassa Ahluwalia

British actor, writer and filmmaker

Jassa is a British actor, writer and creator of the hashtag #BothNotHalf, which he uses to explore mixed identity and his own British-Indian heritage. Born in Coventry to a white English mum and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground, Punjabi with his grandparents, and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders. His first book – Both Not Half – will be published in May 2024 by Bonnier Books UK.

In the AI Era, is it better to be Specialist or Generalist?

The rise of artificial intelligence has already made us realize that mankind may be facing profound changes unseen in a thousand years. Facing the emergence of ChatGPT and Sora, we all concern about our education system and the methodology of talent development. To be a specialist or a generalist? The greatest threat to mankind is not ignorance but arrogance. In such an Era, we are all ignorant and we need humility more than ever.

Wan Wei

Chief Executive Master, Shanghai Pinghe School

Member of the Central Education Commission of the China Democratic League, Deputy Director of the Basic Education Committee of the Shanghai Democratic League, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Private Primary and Secondary School Association, member of the 1st batch of expert database of the National Training Plan of the Ministry of Education. He has published three books in the “Homeroom Teacher’s Handbook” series, “Being a Teacher with a Service Attitude”, “Learning Education from the United States”, “The Five Realms of Being a Teacher”, “Starting Education at the Age of 40”, “The Essence of School Management”, “Education Has Only One Theme”, “Parents Have Vision, Children Have Ambition” and other professional works.