Thursday 08 September 2016
  • After the successful online campaign ‘UK Music on the Go’ during the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, the British Council joined hands with JCDecaux Bus again to launch an online activity “SHAKEspeare” from 5 September to 16 October. Users can create their own Shakespearian characters by scanning the QR code, taking a selfie and shaking their phone.
  • 106 exclusive “SHAKEspeare” buses will feature in Wuhan, Shanghai and Chongqing. There will also be exclusive posters in metros across Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou,  
  • Everyone can scan the QR code on the internet, bus or in the metro to win flight tickets provided by British Airways.

After the successful online campaign ‘UK Music on the Go’ during the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, the British Council partnered with JCDecaux Bus again to launch an online activity ‘SHAKEspeare’ this week to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare. This activity is also one of the programs of the global commemoration ‘Shakespeare Lives’ held by the British Council. Users can create their own Shakespearian characters by scanning the QR code, taking a selfie and shaking the phone. If they are lucky enough, they can also win a free journey to the UK.

In Wuhan, Shanghai and Chongqing, you can enter the game by getting close to a bus with the ad of “SHAKEspeare” on it, turning on Bluetooth on your phone, touching the Shake function in WeChat until the “surrounding” icon appears. After taking and uploading your own picture, you can ‘shake out’ the most appropriate Shakespearian character through the Shake function. Some of the characters included are the proud and lonely Hamlet, the passionate Romeo, and the ruthless Shylock to name just a few. While enjoying the game, you can participate in the prize draw after filling in your personal information. If you are lucky enough, you will win a free journey to London and experience Shakespeare’s plays. 

Alongside this, you can also play the game directly though scanning the QR code on the bus ads, or through WeChat and other online promotion channels.

Ms. Wen, JCDecaux China Bus Media CEO-Bus Advertising said, “The combination of bus and the ‘shake’ function can extend the contents of the bus. In this activity, bus becomes a stage of spreading Shakespearian culture and a scene where people can experience Shakespearian characters. We hope more and more people will like such an interaction and win the big prize by taking a selfie.”

Nick Marchand, Director Arts and Creative Industry, British Council China said: SHAKEspeare is a game to help introduce the Bard's work to a new generation - and tailor his characters for a fun and personalised introduction to his work via social media. This seems fitting, given that some 400 years after Shakespeare's death, he is still such a contemporary and relevant reference point. Whether it's his many film credits or the constant reimagining of his work in stage - dance and music - Shakespeare clearly still lives in the 21st century!”

SHAKEspeare is sponsored by British Airways.

Notes to Editor

About JCDecaux

Established in 1964, JCDecaux pioneered the street furniture concept and is today leadingoutdoor advertising company worldwide. Listed on the Euronext Paris, the Group owns 129,410 advertising panels in more than 75 countries. JCDecaux employs 12,850 people worldwide and generated a total annual revenue of €3,208 million in 2015.

About The British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2,000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the arts and delivering education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publicly-funded grant provides 20 per cent of our turnover which last year was £864 million. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, such as English classes and taking UK examinations, and also through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.

We operate as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Beijing and Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulate-General in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan. Our Exams work across China operates as a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise.

About Shakespeare Lives

Shakespeare Lives is a global programme of events and activities celebrating Shakespeare’s work in the 400th anniversary of his death in 2016. The programme is sparking cultural, educational and economic exchange, through the shared language of Shakespeare.

The campaign is an invitation to the world to join in the celebrations by participating in a unique online collaboration and experiencing the work of Shakespeare directly on stage, through film, exhibitions and in schools.

The British Council and the GREAT Britain campaign are working with host of British theatres, museums, educators and artists on brand new productions of Shakespeare’s plays, film adaptations, public readings and educational resources for schools and English language learners of all ages in the UK and around the world.