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Events

From Chengdu: Stories of the Legendary Zhuge Liang

China Institute

A legendary historical figure in the Three Kingdom period (220-280), Zhuge Liang (181-234) is recognized as the most accomplished and admired military strategist of his era, first as the chancellor to Emperor Liu Bei of the state of Shu and later as the regent of the Kingdom. As a recognition of his contributions to Shu, […]

Free

Innovation, Chaos, and Luxury: Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 -256 BCE)

China Institute

Led by Ben Wang, CI’s Senior Lecturer in Language and Humanities, this free virtual workshop is designed for K-12 educators (though we welcome all to attend) to help advance a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of Chinese classical poetry. In addition, by sharing his personal collection of the rare original couplet in calligraphy, Mr. Wang […]

Seeing China Through Film: An Elephant Sitting Still

China Institute

Watch the film at home, then enjoy a free virtual talkback with Columbia University Film Professor Richard Peña, former Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Sure to be remembered as a landmark in Chinese cinema, this intensely felt epic marks a career cut tragically short: its debut director Hu Bo took his […]

Free

Dao De Jing by Laozi: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

China Institute

Written by the Chinese sage Lao Zi around 400 BC, Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is the most important scripture in Chinese culture. All the major schools of thoughts and religions in China, such as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, can trace their head-streams to the classic. According to UNESCO, Dao De Jing is the […]

The Travels of Marco Polo: A Legend of the East

China Institute

2022 marks the 530th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. Sponsored and dispatched by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, Columbus led a fleet of three ships on August 3, 1492 to sail west to search for a direct sea route to reach Asia as an alternative […]

Free

Pieces of China: Daisy Yiyou Wong on a Portrait of an Empress

China Institute

China’s Qing court produced the largest group of surviving paintings of Chinese empresses, many of which were once used for ancestor worship in the private imperial collection. Join us as Daisy Yiyou Wang, who co-curated the 2019 Empresses exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum, explores an extraordinary portrait of Empress Xiaoxian, whose early death broke the […]

Free

China’s Growing Interest in the Caribbean: Where Does the U.S. Stand?

China Institute

Chinese investment in the Caribbean has soared in the past decade. State-Owned Enterprises, private firms and individuals have been investing in Special Economic Zones, natural resources, ports and passports. The Caribbean’s offshore financial markets have also played a significant role in enabling US investors to invest in Chinese firms and for Chinese firms to gain […]

Free

Why Confucius Matters: Was the Sage a Subversive?

China Institute

Join us as Tao Jiang, a scholar of Chinese philosophy, maps the life of China’s greatest sage and challenges conventional wisdom about Confucius as the ultimate architect of hierarchies and obedience. In a new book, Origins of Moral-Political Philosophy in Early China: Contestation of Humaneness, Justice, and Personal Freedom (Oxford University Press 2021), Jiang portrays […]

Free

East Meets West: Chinese Gardens Abroad

China Institute

A unique architectural art, the Chinese garden in its varied forms reveals a landscaped symphony of rocks, plants, pavilions, water and bridges orchestrated to vibrate with mystic symbolism. Visitors to Chinese gardens, both at home and abroad, seldom fail to marvel at the amazing artistry of the garden craftsmanship and the microcosm of the natural […]

Free

Golden Blossoms: Looking into China’s Exclusive Poetic Couplets

China Institute

Led by Ben Wang, CI’s Senior Lecturer in Language and Humanities, this free virtual workshop is designed for K-12 educators (though we welcome all to attend) to help advance a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of Chinese classical poetry. In addition, by sharing his personal collection of the rare original couplet in calligraphy, Mr. Wang […]

The World According to China

China Institute

With the 2022 Winter Olympics coming up, China is very much in the global spotlight. What image does the rising power want to project to the world? In her compelling new book, The World According to China, Elizabeth Economy argues that Chinese President Xi Jinping has bold ambitions to transform the international system. Join us […]

Chinese New Year Online Variety Show

China Institute

Celebrate with music, drums, and a Year of the Tiger talk at China Institute’s free virtual variety show! Marvel at the sights and sounds of festival fireworks and the famed Refiner Drums, alongside Chinese dance and music performances and a conversation on Chinese New Year traditions and the meaning of the Year of the Tiger. […]

Free