Having worked for five years in China’s fast-paced media and culture industries, including roles at T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and creating content and managing Chinese social media platforms for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Yiwen Zhang made the bold decision to pivot into studying Illustration in the UK.

Now nearing the end of her MA Illustration course at Arts University Bournemouth, Yiwen shares how picking up a watercolour set changed her career path, her first-ever gallery exhibition in Brighton, and her ambitious plans to build a creative bridge between China and the UK.

Before coming to AUB, you worked for some massive global brands and publications in China. Can you tell us a bit about that journey?

Before deciding to pursue my Master’s, I worked full-time in China for five years. The job market there moves incredibly fast, which forces you to multitask and learn a huge amount in a very short time.

My most recent role was as an editor and project manager for the Chinese edition of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Before that, I worked for one of China’s largest commercial museums, the Meet You Museum, where we actually collaborated with a UK university to bring Egyptian mummies over for an exhibition!

I also managed Chinese social media platforms and content creation for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France.

With such a successful career in media, marketing, and translation and having studied Japanese translation for your undergraduate degree, where did illustration fit into the picture?

Illustration is actually very new to me! I started drawing about four years ago while working full-time at the museum. I was under quite a bit of pressure at the time and decided to buy my very first watercolour set. I just started painting and simply never stopped.

Art education in China is quite different, and we don’t really have dedicated illustration courses at university level, so coming to AUB was the perfect opportunity to truly focus on my craft.

How have you found your time at AUB, and what has it been like living in Bournemouth?

The MA Illustration course itself has been really wonderful. I feel so lucky to have met our course team, Jenni and Ben – they are incredibly supportive and inspirational.

As for Bournemouth, the beach is absolutely the best part. Honestly, the sandy beach was about 40% of the reason I chose to study here!

You recently celebrated a massive milestone with your very first exhibition. How did that come about?

Yes, that was definitely the highlight of my year! Last month, an illustration of mine, a sightseeing scene of Brighton that I actually drew a few years ago, was selected for an exhibition at the Arrival Gallery in Brighton.

I spent nearly the whole month there attending the exhibition and meeting other artists. It was my first exhibition ever, so it felt incredibly special, especially in a city that I already loved.

Portrait of an MA Illustration student next to a sample of her work displayed on a wall.

A glass jar and several colourful tea sachet boxes are arranged on a wooden picnic table, with greenery in the background.

A watercolour-style illustration of several animals on a green background, including a large emu in the centre, a fox and a squirrel, and three birds.

Watercolour illustrations of six coffee drinks with handwritten labels, arranged in a grid on a cream background.

A page of colourful hand-drawn teapots in varied shapes and patterns, including a yellow teapot with flowers and a purple teapot on a plain cream background.

Seven painted butterflies in blue, green, red and orange on a lavender background, arranged in rows.

Watercolour illustration of the Garden Café entrance with hanging flower baskets, a green awning, and pink and orange chairs in front.

Coming to a Master’s degree with five years of industry experience must give you a unique outlook on the course. How has that influenced your approach?

It definitely gives me a different perspective. I'm quite commercially minded; I look at my studies and think about how I can improve my skill set and where I can apply it.

AUB has been fantastic for inviting industry professionals in for one-to-one career sessions. I spoke to every single one of them! I connected really well with a studio called Kindful Creative. Even though they can't offer visa sponsorship at the moment, they asked for my CV for future collaborative opportunities, which was really encouraging.

Can you tell us about your MA final project?

I’m working on my final project right now! I’m creating a collection of illustrated 'tea bags.' They will be quite small, designed to look like a real bag of tea, but inside each one will be a tiny zine instead of tea leaves. I'm currently designing individual packaging designs and visual marks for each 'flavour' of the tea bags.

What are your plans once you graduate from AUB?

First, I am going back to China because I have two cats there, who I miss very much!

But my big vision is to set up my own art organisation back home. There are so many exceptionally talented, professionally trained artists in China, but they often lack a platform to show their work or connect with the wider international art community. I want to build that bridge. I’ve been making as many connections as possible with my brilliant peers at AUB, and my hope is to invite them to China as guest hosts for creative workshops in the future.

Lastly, what advice would you give to other international students, particularly those coming from China to study in the UK?

My main advice, especially for Chinese students, is to step out of your comfort zone. It is very easy and feels safe to stick within your own language group, but I really encourage students to be open, make friends from different countries, and take full advantage of this year to embrace a truly multicultural environment. It completely changes your experience for the better!

Want to see more of Yiwen's work?

You can view Yiwen's illustrations on her Instagram.