Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, speaks at a gala on Thursday evening in New York celebrating the organization's 100th anniversary. The event honored families of former presidents Nixon and Bush, members of the Rockefeller family, and other luminaries who have shaped a century of US-China cultural exchange. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
China Institute of America marked its centennial with a gala in New York on Thursday, bringing together political families, business leaders, international artists, and academics with longstanding ties to US-China exchanges.
Founded in 1926, China Institute is the oldest nonprofit organization in the United States focused on cultural and educational exchanges between China and the US. The institute was co-founded by American educators John Dewey and Paul Monroe, along with Chinese scholars Hu Shih and Kuo Ping-wen.
Over the past century, the organization has supported a range of exchange programs and cultural initiatives, including sponsoring Mei Lanfang's North American tour and Broadway performances in New York, as well as helping secure scholarship aid for Chinese students studying in the US in 1938.
The institute now hosts public discussions on US-China education, art, innovation, and business exchanges, organizes exhibitions of Chinese art, and offers Chinese language and cultural programs. It recently opened a culinary center focused on Chinese cuisine and food culture.
