Patricia Bjaaland Welch

Patricia Bjaaland Welch (M.A.) is a former University lecturer in Chinese religion, philosophy and art, College of Liberal Arts, Boston University. From the U.S. she moved to Norway, where she established an international training center for Scandinavian diplomats and industry within the University of Oslo with government funding. She relocated to Hong Kong in 1988 where she worked in the private marketing and communications sectors, but has recently returned full-time to Asian studies as an independent scholar. The author of five published books and dozens of articles, including a book on Chinese New Year traditions for Oxford University Press, and Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery (Tuttle Publishing), she is also a popular speaker and tour leader. She has homes in Bangkok and Singapore and has been a Singapore permanent resident since 1995. She is a regular author of articles on Chinese and Asian art symbols and motifs and many of her articles can be found at www.academia.edu. Ms. Welch is also a popular regional speaker at conferences and symposia, leads specialist art and history tours into China and other Asian destinations, and is a specialist speaker on a number of leading international cruise lines, including Princess, Celebrity, Arcadia, P&O, Belmonde and Road Scholar specialty cruises. She is currently President of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society based in Singapore and Overall Co-head of Training for Singapore's National Heritage Board museums training programmes for docents. As the current president of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society, she is currently writing a history of the society and its members, many of whom have gifted their collections to museums throughout the world.