A comic book artist who trained at a Birmingham university and now has millions of fans across the world has been shortlisted for a top award from the British Council.
Yifan Ling graduated from Birmingham City University (BCU) a decade ago and since then the graphic artist has gone on to become one of the best-selling manga comic authors.
More commonly known by her pen name, Buddy, Beijing-born Ms Ling has published more than 20 books internationally and her online manga story Guarding has been viewed by more than 110 million people.
Later this year, Guarding will be developed into a television show and a film in China and South Korea.
Following her nomination for the Education UK Alumni Awards 2016, Ms Ling said: "The time I spent at BCU was magical and my education saw me explore new drawing techniques and it also changed the way I think and create stories.
"My life in the UK inspired me to observe real people around me and bring them into my cartoon works, which I am still doing today."
The Education UK Alumni Awards celebrate the success of international alumni who have studied at UK universities within the last ten years.
They honour the outstanding achievements made by business professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders who can demonstrate how their UK education has impacted on their subsequent success.
