Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, most cultural activities around the world have been suspended, but cultural institutions like museums and art galleries have started pivoting toward moving their art online.

One of the prominent examples is the ongoing UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival, an online festival featuring cultural exchanges between China and the UK launched on Oct 9 by the British Council, the UK's international organization for building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.

Rehana Mughal, director of arts at British Council China, shares her insights into the influence of the pandemic on the way people consume art, how art can empower us in hard times like this and the future trends of Sino-UK cultural exchanges in a post-pandemic context.