Is design art? In the hands of Han Feng, it sure is. The Hangzhou-born clothing designer first brought her fashion work into the performing arts with costumes for Anthony Minghella’s Madame Butterfly at the English National Opera and the Met Opera. Her bespoke couture designs meld Chinese motifs and craftmanship with a bold, modern sensibility. […]
“Long live Chairman Mao” was the first English language sentence the Lijia Zhang ever learned. “Foreign language is a tool of class struggle” was the second. On January 27, the author of Socialism is Great and Lotus, will take us back in time to the missile factory where she worked in the early 1980s, and […]
China boasts of a 5000-year civilization, but for much of the past few millenniums, the country had been shrouded in mystery due in large part to its lack of communication with the rest of the world. The scarcity of translations of Chinese books, classic or otherwise, was a contributing factor to the impasse as well. […]
Join China expert and diplomat Nicholas Platt, who will share the story of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 1973 trip to China at Richard Nixon’s behest. Platt, who was the Foreign Service Control Officer for that historic visit, handled the negotiations—with plenty of challenges on both the American and the Chinese sides.
1912 marked an important turning point in Chinese history, when the imperial period that lasted for more than 2000 years uninterrupted came to a crashing end and a new republic, the first of its kind in China, came into being. On January 1, 1912, a band-new provisional government was established and seated in Nanjing with […]
What is China’s goal in making global development investments? Despite the fact that the U.S. declined to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, are U.S. investors still welcome in AIIB projects? Is there room for U.S.-China collaboration around global development and governance in the financial arena? Jin Liqun, President of the AIIB and one of […]
Experience the Chinese literati salon (文人雅集) inspired by ancient tradition, with an evening of classical music, poetry, calligraphy—and wine! As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to celebrate the joy of reunion in China Institute’s newly expanded space! Artists, musicians, and literature experts will perform and invite attendees to participate in an evening promoting solidarity, […]
In-person screening of Suzhou River, followed by a talkback with film expert Richard Peña. Lou Ye is one of the most influential and important directors in China today. Through his films, Lou brings to light his interpretation of social issues of the marginalized in the Chinese society. One of his most important works, Suzhou River, […]
China Institute invites you to join our first ever ONE READ project! Read the book with our community, meet the author, and deepen your understanding of modern China by examining the world behind Liang Hong’s literary sensation, China in One Village. The book travels with the author to her ancestral village in landlocked Henan Province. […]
Join us for a conversation with Zhang Yang, China’s most successful independent filmmaker, who will discuss his acclaimed work, Shower, with producer Peter Loehr, and film expert Richard Peña! Our experts will talk about China in the 90s, the impact of the reform era on film, the and the important legacy of Shower, more than […]
What is driving President Xi Jinping’s moves to re-centralize control over China’s economy and society? On the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, the Leninist doctrine that underpins its history is reemerging to challenge capitalist-style, market reforms. Join us for this virtual discussion as Harvard political scientist Tony Saich, author of From Rebel to […]
Join top architects and urban thinkers for a wide-ranging discussion on China’s cities of the future. For decades, China’s planners focused on tearing down the old, and building the new in order to fuel the nation’s rapid development. Glistening cities rose, while psychological and social costs took a back seat. Today, as China struts more […]