The 2026 Wales–China Arts Travel Grants are supporting the UK’s arts and culture sectors to build meaningful international connections with cultural organisation in China.
The programme will:
- enable Welsh arts organisations to build new international partnerships in mainland China,
- deepen understanding of China’s dynamic cultural landscape, and
- support future collaboration that delivers cultural, social and economic impact.
Through these grants, representatives from arts organisations across Wales will travel to mainland China in 2026. The visits will support them to develop relationships with Chinese partners, gain valuable insight into the cultural landscape, and lay the foundations for future collaboration. These exchanges contribute to long-term cultural development and create opportunities for shared learning and impact in both Wales and China.
This initiative forms part of our wider work to support purposeful international engagement by UK creative professionals.
China Now: Supporting UK cultural organisations
China’s arts and cultural landscape continues to evolve rapidly. In 2026, we will be bringing you a series of articles, interviews and resources that give UK organisations the information they need to work in China.
Written for the UK cultural sector, China Now will share information about current trends in China’s cultural sector, share examples of best practice by shining a light on ongoing collaborations, provide tips on how to navigate the Chinese context, and digest our insights and research to support UK cultural engagement in China.
Sign up here for China Now
Meet the 2026 Grantees
Common/Wealth
Common/Wealth is an award-winning, site-specific, theatre company based in Cardiff and Bradford, UK. Common/Wealth makes high-quality documentary theatre and public events that are experimental and push form. They often co-create our work with local people and present it in the heart of communities: a house, a gym, a car park - places where people who might not go to the theatre might come instead. The subjects they tackle have universal relevance, and we present our work locally, nationally and internationally.
Hijinx Theatre
Hijinx is Wales’ leading inclusive theatre company, creating bold, unmissable work with learning disabled and autistic artists. Hijinx’s vision is a world where learning disabled and autistic people are empowered, valued and have fair access to opportunities as artists and in life. They tour acclaimed productions across Wales, the UK and internationally, while developing artists to build sustainable professional careers in the arts. Alongside performance, they nurture community, confidence and life skills. Guided by humanity, integrity, inclusion and excellence, we celebrate difference and use joy as a powerful force for creativity, justice and change.
International Ceramics Festival
The International Ceramics Festival at Aberystwyth is a biennial event initiated in 1987. It brings UK and international ceramic artists to Wales to showcase the best contemporary ceramic practice through demonstrations, kiln firings, lectures, discussions, exhibitions and selling opportunities. A leading ceramic festival in Europe, it attracts an audience of over 1,000 people, which includes professional ceramicists, students and the growing numbers of serious amateur makers, as well as local people. The festival has a commitment to sustainability and access including Welsh language and outreach projects in advance of the event. The demonstrations and lectures are ticketed, but the exhibitions and outdoor events are free to visitors.
Iris Prize
Iris Prize is an internationally recognised LGBTQ+ film organisation based in Cardiff, Wales. Best known for the annual Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival, it awards the world’s largest short film prize, enabling the winner to make a new LGBTQ+ film in Wales. Alongside the festival, Iris supports filmmakers year round through international partnerships, touring programmes and learning initiatives, sharing powerful queer stories with audiences worldwide. Through its work, Iris Prize champions creative excellence, cultural exchange and under represented voices, using film to foster understanding and connection across borders.
Pontio Arts Centre
Pontio Arts Centre is Bangor University's state of the art cultural venue. Pontio's mission (which is a direct translation of the verb "to bridge") is to serve all of the communities of Bangor, from students to local residents and provide opportunities for artists and audiences alike to experience world class arts and culture. Its programme is one of Wales' leading multi art form offerings, presenting a range of programmes, from local to international, across dance, music, film, visual art, circus and theatre.
Theatr Iolo
Theatr Iolo has been at the forefront of creating theatre for children in Wales for almost 40 years. We are passionate about nurturing and igniting the imagination and creativity of young minds, to help children make sense of the world around them and to find their place within it. We work with the best artists, writers and creatives, to create memorable and bold live theatre, workshops and activities in both English and Welsh. Our work for babies, children and teenagers is toured across Wales, the UK and internationally.
WOW Wales One World Film Festival
Founded in 2001, WOW Wales One World Film Festival is the Wales' longest-running film festival, dedicated to bringing under-represented global stories to audiences in Wales. For 25 years, WOW has championed films from regions often marginalised within mainstream distribution, presenting urgent political documentaries, intimate human stories, and bold, formally inventive cinema that reflects the weird, complex and wonderful realities of our world. Under the direction of Annita Nitsaidou, WOW continues to build international partnerships that create pathways for cultural exchange, ensuring Welsh audiences remain connected to global cinema movements and emerging filmmakers worldwide.
