China Institute in America’s
Historical Timeline
1926
5/25, China Institute in America is Founded. Trustee P.W. Kuo is elected Director. China Institute in America installs an exhibition on Chinese education at Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia, winning grand prize.
1928
China Institute in America is reorganized as a membership corporation. Chih Meng appointed honorary secretary for reorganization.
1929
China Institute in America relocates to 119 West 57th Street.
1930
China Institute in America becomes a membership corporation with Ms. W Murray Crane and C.F Yau as major supporters. Chih Meng becomes Institute’s Associate Director. Paul Monroe is elected President of Institute’s Board of Trustees.
1931
China Institute in America begins to offer basic courses on China for public school teachers in New York City, and expands its educational programs for Americans. Trustees K.C. Li and Chih Meng raise funds to send speakers across the U.S. in order to publicize Japan’s aggressions in China.
1932
Henry L. Stimson becomes a trustee of the Institute.
1933
China Institute in America obtains New York City Board of Education approval to offer in-service credit courses for public school teachers. Tsinghua University President Y.C. Mei appoints Chih Meng honorary director of the Chinese Educational Mission in the United States.
1936
At the request of Tsinghua University and the Chinese Ministry of Education Chih Meng travels extensively in China, interviewing 2,400 graduates of American colleges and universities in order to evaluate effectiveness of American-trained Chinese students in serving China’s needs upon their return. Meng produces the documentary film “Glimpses of Modern China,” which details this process.
1937
China Institute in America administers China Foundation emergency relief funds to Chinese students stranded in the United States by Sino-Japanese War.
1938
Through Eleanor Roosevelt and Lauchlin Currie, Chih Meng obtains scholarship-in-aid for Chinese students in America from U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intercultural Relations.
1939
China Institute in America recruits Chinese student volunteers to train as mechanics for maintenance of the Burma Road and of vehicles carrying supplies to wartime China.
1940
China Institute in America is instrumental in Chinese Government’s decision to provide additional funds to Chinese students through its Committee on Wartime Planning for Chinese Students in the United States.
1942
China Institute in America helps organize China reconstruction forums on American campuses between 1942 and 1947 and publishes the proceedings.
1943
Walter H. Mallory succeeds Paul Monroe as president of the board of Trustees. Chih Meng organizes summer workshop on China for public school teachers at Montclair State Teachers College, New Jersey. Workshops evolve into the China Institute of New Jersey and continue for 15 years.
1944
Henry R. Luce presents Institute with former Frederick S. Lee House at 125 East 65th Street as a gift from the foundation established and named in honor of his father Henry Winters Luce. China Institute in America dissolves as a membership corporation and reincorporates as a tax-exempt educational institution chartered under the University of the State of New York. 8/27, China House opens with a public celebration at Town Hall and a private dedication ceremony. December, formal opening of China House, after alterations, is celebrated for three days.
1945
China Institute in America and the Chinese Students Activities Council of Greater New York hold victory banquet to celebrate Victory over Japan Day and Sino-American collaboration during World War II.
1946
China Institute in America asked to administer Chinese Ministry of Education scholarships offered to American GIs for the study of Chinese culture, a gesture of appreciation for U.S. assistance to China during World War II.
1948
Chairman of United China Relief Charles Edison joins China Institute in America and serves as chairman of its Finance Committee. Chih Meng organizes workshops on China at a number of American colleges and universities between 1948 and 1961.
1949
Henry R. Luce is elected President of the Board of Trustees.
1950
The C.T. Loo Educational Fund entrusts China Institute in America with the selection of recipients of its grants-in-aid to Chinese graduate students majoring in science and engineering at American universities.
1951
Following passage of China Area Aid Act by the 81st Congress in January, China Institute in America undertakes a survey of Chinese students and professionals in the U.S., and sets up a placement service to help qualified individuals find jobs. Institute expands its hospitality and counseling services to new immigrants by opening Pacific Coast headquarters in San Francisco.
1952
China Institute in America opens a student hospitality center in New York City
1954
China Institute in America opens a student hospitality center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, similar to its hospitality center in New York City.
1955
China Institute in America and the University of Maryland inaugurate annual conferences on Chinese-American cultural relations. Conferences evolve into the American Association for Chinese Studies in 1966.
1962
Virginia Runton, a core staff member who joined the Institute in 1930, retires after 32 years of loyal service.
1964
Dr. Ho-ching Yang, elected President of the Board of Trustees in May, passes away in November.
1965
Institute forms an Art Committee with Myron S. Falk, Jr., Mrs. Edwin F. Stanton, and Mrs. Edward M. Pfluger as co-chairmen. Founding of China Institute Women’s Association. Alexander D. Calhoun is elected President of the Board of Trustees.
1966
November, China Institute in America marks its 40th anniversary with the establishment of China House Gallery, which holds its first exhibition. 11/15-/66- 2/15/67, Gallery Exhibition: Selections of Chinese Art from Private Collections in the Metropolitan Area.
1967
James V. Pickering is elected President of the Board of Trustees. William Henderson is appointed Director of China Institute in America. John M. Crawford, Jr. succeeds Myron S. Falk, Jr. as Co-chairman of the Art Committee. 4/5-6/11, Gallery Exhibition: Art Styles of Ancient Shang. 10/25/67-1/28/68, Gallery Exhibition: Animals and Birds in Chinese Art
1968
William Henderson resigns as Director in August. K.Y. Ai, Head of the School of Chinese Studies, becomes Acting Director. 3/21-5/26, Gallery Exhibition: Gardens in Chinese Art. 10/24/68-1/26/69, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Jade through the Centuries.
1969
F. Richard Hsu is elected Director of China Institute in America. Institute inaugurates Annual Labor Day Weekend Convention as part of its Chinese Student Services program. 4/27-5/25, Gallery Exhibition: Foreigners in Ancient Chinese Art. 10/23/69-2/1/70, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Painted Enamels
1970
John M. Crawford, Jr. is elected Chairman of the Art Committee. 3/26-5/30, Gallery Exhibition: Album Leaves from the Sung and Yuan Dynasties. 10/29/70-1/31/71, Gallery Exhibition: Ming Porcelains: A Retrospective
1971
James V. Pickering is elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. F. Richard Hsu assumes the title President of China Institute in America. Wan-go H.C. Weng is elected Co-chairman of the Art Committee. 3/24-5/27, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Silk Tapestry: K’o-ssu. 10/21/71-1/30/72, Gallery Exhibition: Early Chinese Gold and Silver
1972
10/26/72-1/28/73, Gallery Exhibition: Wintry Forests, Old Trees: Some Landscape Themes in Chinese Painting
1973
Institute inaugurates Chinese-American Community Research and Action Project. 3/15-5/28, Gallery Exhibition: Ceramics in the Liao Dynasty: North and South of the Great Wall. 10/25/73-1/27/74, Gallery Exhibition: China Trade Porcelain: A Study in Double Reflections
1974
Annual Labor Day Weekend Convention moves to Silver Bay, Lake George. 3/14-5/24, Gallery Exhibition: Tantric Buddhist Art. 10/24/74-1/26/75: Friends of Wen Cheng-Ming: A View from the Crawford Collection
1975
China Institute in America launches its Bilingual Vocational Training Program, which prepares recent Chinese immigrants for careers in the Chinese restaurant industry. 4/3-6/15, Gallery Exhibition: Ancient Chinese Jades from the Buffalo Museum of Science. 10/29/75-2/1/76, Gallery Exhibition: Art of the Six Dynasties: Centuries of Change and Innovation
1976
Henry Luce III is elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. 4/8-6/13, Gallery Exhibition: China’s Influence on American Culture in the 18th and 19th Centuries. 10/27/76-1/30/77, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Folk Art in American Collections: Early 15th Through 20th Centuries. November, Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary with a benefit dinner at the Plaza Hotel hosted by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and the Institute’s Board of Trustees.
1977
Gordon B. Washburn is elected Chairman of the Art Committee. 3/16-5/29, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Folk Art in American Collections: Early Chinese Miniatures. 10/28/77-1/29/78, Gallery Exhibition: I-Hsing Ware
1978
3/17-5/28, Gallery Exhibition: Embroidery of Imperial China. 10/25/78-1/28/79, Gallery Exhibition: Origins of Chinese Ceramics.
1979
C.T. Shen is elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. 3/14-5/27, Gallery Exhibition: Art of the Han. 10/25-11/25, Gallery Exhibition: Treasures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
1980
China Institute in America forms a Medical Exchange Committee, chaired by trustee Dr. Shyh-Jung Yue. Robert L. Hoguet is elected Chairman of the Board of Trustee. 3/19-5/25, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Art from the Newark Museum. 10/22/80-1/25/81, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Porcelains in European Mounts.
1981
China Institute in America formally establishes its Medical Exchange Program with the People’s Republic of China. F. Richard Hsu resigns as President of China Institute in America. Institute publishes Chih Meng’s Chinese-American Understanding: A Sixty-Year Search with support from the C.T. Loo Educational Fund. 3/16-5/24, Gallery Exhibition: Freedom of Clay and Brush through Seven Centuries in Northern China: Tz’u-Chow Type Wares 960-1600 A.D. 7/29-9/21, Gallery Exhibition: The Art of Chinese Knotting. 10/21/81-1/31/82, Gallery Exhibition: Masterpieces of Sung and Yuan Dynasty Calligraphy from the John M. Crawford Jr. Collection.
1982
Marsha Wagner, a Ph.D. in Chinese and comparative literature from Columbia University, joins China Institute in America as Vice President and Director of the School of Chinese Studies. February, Phillips Talbot is elected a trustee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees is asked to undertake a study on the Institute’s future. Wan-go H.C. Weng is elected a trustee and Chairman of the Art Committee. 4/20-5/30, Gallery Exhibition: The Communion Of Scholars: Chinese Art At Yale. July, Wan-go H.C. Weng is elected President of China Institute in America. 11/4-12/12, Gallery Exhibition: China from Within
1983
China Institute in America launches its Corporate Program to promote discussion on U.S.-China trade and investment issues. China Institute in America sponsors first U.S. tour of the Hunan Flower Drum Opera Troupe, which wins accolades for its performances in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. China Institute Women’s Association starts its Chinese Student/Scholar Program, which works with the Institute’s Chinese Student Services program to provide hospitality and counseling to students in the New York Metropolitan area. China Institute publishes Chinese in America: Stereotyped Past, Changing Present with funding from The Ho-ching Yang Memorial Foundation. K.Y. Ai retires as Director of the School of Chinese Studies after 36 years of serving the Institute in various capacities. Dr. Marsha L. Wagner is appointed his successor. 3/18-5/29, Gallery Exhibition: Bamboo Carving of China. 10/21/83-1/29/84, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Ceramics and the Transitional Period: 1620-1683
1984
China Institute in America initiates US-CHINA 200, a year long celebration commemorating the bicentennial of the sailing of the Empress of China from New York City to Canton, and joins with dozens of public and private organizations in sponsoring over 40 events saluting U.S.-China trade and cultural relations. Institute organizes three-week tour to China in May at the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. 11/7, Institute celebrates the 40th anniversary of China House opening with a reception. 11/27, Institute inaugurates its Qingyun Awards at the Annual Benefit Dinner. First awards are presented to Dr. An Wang and Ming Cho Lee. 2/10-3/7, Gallery Exhibition: Masterpieces of Chinese Export Porcelain and Related Decorative Arts from the Mottahedeh Collection. 4/6-6/10, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Traditional Architecture. 10/20/84-1/29/85, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Rare Books in American Collections.
1985
Institute hosts luncheon on board the Queen Elizabeth II to honor His Excellency Han Xu, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States. 10/30 Institute presents second Qingyun Awards to Dr. Wu Chien-hsiung and Professor Chou Wen-chung at Annual Benefit Dinner. 3/20-6/3, Gallery Exhibition: The Sumptuous Basket: Chinese Lacquer With Basketry Panels. 10/26/85-1/26/86, Gallery Exhibition: 1986 Kernels of Energy, Bones of Earth: The Rock in Chinese Art.
1986
Morris Rossabi, a Ph.D. in Chinese History from Columbia University, becomes Director of the School of Chinese Studies at China Institute in America. 4/19-6/29, Gallery Exhibition: Puppetry of China. 10/22, China Institute in America celebrates its 60th anniversary with a benefit. 10/18/86-1/4/87: Selections of Chinese Art from Private Collections.
1987
Gallery Exhibition: 1987 New Year Exhibition. 4/4-5/30, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Folk Art. 10/22/87-1/4/88, Gallery Exhibition: Richly Woven Traditions: Costumes of the Miao of Southwest China and Beyond.
1988
Nancy Jervis, a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University, joins China Institute in America, becoming Vice President and Direct. 2/4-2/24, Gallery Exhibition: 1988 New Year Exhibition. 4/23-6/19, Gallery Exhibition: Ritual and Power: Jades of Ancient China. 9/17-11/12, Gallery Exhibition: Stories from China’s Past.
1989
1/28-2/25, Gallery Exhibition: 1989 New Year Exhibition: Lanterns. 4/3-5/27, Gallery Exhibition: Mind Landscapes: The Paintings of C.C. Wang. 6/29-9/9, Gallery Exhibition: China Between Revolutions: Photography by Sidney D. Gamble, 1917-1927. 10/5-12/2, Gallery Exhibition: Views from Jade Terrace: Chinese Women Artists, 1300-1912.
1990
January – March (specific dates not provided), Gallery Exhibition: 1990 New Year Exhibition: The Chinese Earth – Views of Nature. 4/26-6/16, Gallery Exhibition: Clear as Crystal, Red as Flame: Later Chinese Glass. 10/20-12/15, Gallery Exhibition: The Eccentric Painters of Yangzhou.
1991
1/26-3/2, Gallery Exhibition: 1991 New Year Exhibition: Children in Chinese Art. 4/20-6/15, Gallery Exhibition: Ancient Chinese Bronze Art: Casting the Precious Sacral Vessel. 10/19-12/14, Gallery Exhibition: Early Chinese Ceramics from New York State Museums.
1992
2/1-3/7, Gallery Exhibition: Treasures of the Last Emperor: Selections from the Palace Museum, Beijing. 4/15-7/31, Gallery Exhibition: Lamas, Princes and Brigands: Photographs by Joseph Rock of the Tibetan Borderlands of China. 10/21-12/12, Gallery Exhibition: Word as Image: The Art of Chinese Seal Engraving.
1993
1/19-3/6, Gallery Exhibition: A Year of Good Fortune – 1993: Legends of the Rooster and Traditions of the Chinese New Year. 4/17-6/12, Gallery Exhibition: Discarding the Brush: Gao Qipei, 1660-1734. 10/23/93-1/15/94, Gallery Exhibition: As You Wish: Symbol and Meaning of Chinese Porcelains from the Taft Museum.
1994
2/5-3/5, Gallery Exhibition: Sending Away the Old, Welcoming the New. 4/26-6/11, Gallery Exhibition: Capturing a World: China and Its People – Photography by John Thomson. 10/20-12/22, Gallery Exhibition: At the Dragon Court: Chinese Embroidered Mandarin Squares from the Schuyler V.R. Cammann Collection.
1995
1/20-3/4, Gallery Exhibition: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: Celebrating Chinese New Year. 4/22-8/5, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Porcelains of the Seventeenth Century: Landscapes, Scholar’s Motifs and Narratives. 10/14-12/21, Gallery Exhibition: Abstraction and Expression in Chinese Calligraphy.
1996
China Institute in America establishes Teach China, a comprehensive professional development program providing K-12 educators a wealth of opportunities to enhance their knowledge of China, past and present. 2/3-3/9, Gallery Exhibition: Calligraphy as Living Art: Selection from the Jill Sackler Chinese Calligraphy Competition. 4/20-7/6, Gallery Exhibition: Hare’s Fur, Tortoiseshell and Partridge Feathers Chinese Brown – and Black-Glazed Ceramics, 400-1400. 10/23-12/21, Gallery Exhibition: The Life of a Patron: Zhou Lianggong (1612-1672) and the Painters of Seventeenth-Century China.
1997
2/6-7/14, Gallery Exhibition: Adornment for Eternity: Status and Rank in Chinese Ornament. 9/11-12/13, Gallery Exhibition: Power and Virtue: the Horse in Chinese Art.
1998
China Institute in America inaugurates its free China Survey lecture series, with the mission of further educating the public about China. 2/5-6/20, Gallery Exhibition: Scent of Ink: The Roy and Marilyn Papp Collection of Chinese Art. 9/16-12/13, Gallery Exhibition: Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Pamela R. Lessing Friedman Collection.
1999
2/11-6/20, Gallery Exhibition: A Literati Life in the 20th Century: Wang Fangyu – Artist, Scholar, Connoisseur. 9/16-12/12, Gallery Exhibition: The Resonance of the Qin in East Asian Art.
2000
1/12-2/11, Gallery Exhibition: 2000 New Year Exhibition: The Story of Red. 3/21-6/18, Gallery Exhibition: Dawn of the Yellow Earth: Ancient Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection. 9/14-12/10, Gallery Exhibition: The Chinese Painter as a Poet.
2001
January, China Institute in America begins a weekly Chinese lecture series on Saturdays. Lectures are given in Chinese (and sometimes bilingually) by prominent writers, actors, art collectors, and other leaders in their fields. 1/25-6/10, Gallery Exhibition: Vernacular Environment in China. Summer of 2001, China Institute in America organizes an NEH Summer Institute at Columbia University on China and the World. 9/25-12/9, Gallery Exhibition: Exquisite Moments: West Lake & Southern Song Art.
2002
2/7-6/2, Gallery Exhibition: Circles of Reflection: The Carter Collection of Chinese Bronze Mirrors. 9/19-12/7, Gallery Exhibition: Blanc de Chine: Divine Images in Porcelain.
2003
China Institute in America launches Renwen Society, a new tier of the Institute’s membership primarily to support Chinese lectures and events. 1/29-6/7, Gallery Exhibition: Weaving China’s Past: the Amy S. Claque Collection of Chinese Textiles. 9/18-12/20, Gallery Exhibition: Passion for the Mountains: 17th Century Landscape Paintings from the Nanjing Museum.
2004
2/12-6/5, Gallery Exhibition: Gold & Jade: Imperial Jewelry of the Ming Dynasty from the Nanjing Municipal Museum. 9/23-12/11, Gallery Exhibition: The Scholar as Collector: Chinese Art at Yale.
2005
China Institute in America publishes From Silk to Oil: Cross-Cultural Connections Along The Silk Roads, an award-winning curriculum guide for educators. 2/3-6/4, Gallery Exhibition: Providing for the Afterlife: “Brilliant Artifacts” from Shandong. 9/16-12/03, Gallery Exhibition: Masterpieces of Chinese Lacquer from the Mike Healy Collection.
2006
China Institute in America's Confucius Institute (CI@CI) is established in partnership with East China Normal University in Shanghai. CI@CI works to improve the quality of Mandarin language instruction in the U.S through a variety of programs. 2/2-6/10, Gallery Exhibition: Trade Taste & Transformation: Jingdezhen Porcelain for Japan, 1620-1645. 6/28-8/12, Gallery Exhibition: The Beauty of Chinese Gardens. 9/28-11/11, Gallery Exhibition: Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art – Part I. 12/13/06-2/24/07, Gallery Exhibition: Shu: Reinventing Books in Contemporary Chinese Art – Part 2.
2007
China Institute in America establishes its STARTALK Summer Language Academy, a high school summer program focusing on language and cultural immersion. 3/23-3/28, Gallery Exhibition: Tea, Wine and Poetry: The Art of Drinking Vessels The International Asian Art Fair, New York. 3/24-6/16, Gallery Exhibition: Tea, Wine and Poetry: Qing Dynasty Literati and Their Drinking Vessels. 9/20-12/8, Gallery Exhibition: Buddhist Sculpture from China: Selections from Xi’an Beilin Museum Fifth through Ninth Centuries.
2008
1/31-5/11, Gallery Exhibition: Enchanted Stories: Chinese Shadow Theater in Shaanxi. 6/12-8/17, Gallery Exhibition: Beijing 2008: A Photographic Journey. 9/25-12/14, Gallery Exhibition: The Last Emperor’s Collection: Masterpieces of Painting and Calligraphy from the Liaoning Provincial Museum.
2009
2/12-6/7, Gallery Exhibition: Noble Tombs at Mawangdui: Art and Life in the Changsha Kingdom, Third Century BCE to First Century CE. 9/24-12/13, Gallery Exhibition: Humanism in China: A Contemporary Record of Photography.
2010
2/11-6/13, Gallery Exhibition: Confucius: His Life and Legacy in Art. 9/16-12/5, Gallery Exhibition: Woodcuts in Modern China, 1937–2008: Towards a Universal Pictorial Language.
2011
1/27-6/12, Gallery Exhibition: Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan. 9/15-12/11, Gallery Exhibition: Blooming in the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art, 1974–1985.
2012
China Institute in America purchases new office space at 40 Rector St. 2/9-6/17, Gallery Exhibition: Theater, Life, and the Afterlife: Tomb Décor of the Jin Dynasty from Shanxi. 9/21/12-2/17/13, Gallery Exhibition: New “China”: Porcelain Art from Jingdezhen, 1910–2012.
2013
China Institute in America is selected as an Inaugural Signature Partner of the 100,000 Strong Foundation. The 100,000 Strong Foundation encourages US students to learn Mandarin and study in China as a means to promote cross-cultural understanding and strengthen US-China relations. 4/19-10/6, Gallery Exhibition: Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road. 12/14/13-6/8/14, Gallery Exhibition: Inspired by Dunhuang: Re-Creation in Contemporary Chinese Art.
2014
Gallery Exhibition: Mao’s Golden Mangoes and the Cultural Revolution. This is the last gallery exhibition at the Institute’s East 65th Street location before moving downtown.
2015
China Institute in America relocates to a new 41,000 square foot office space at 40 Rector Street.
2016
On February 5, 2016 over 300 guests joined China Institute in America to welcome the Year of the Monkey at Cipriani 42nd Street, New York City.
2017
It’s that time of the year again — we anticipate with great excitement China Institute in America’s New Year Celebration on Saturday, January 28, 2017 to welcome the Year of the Rooster at China Blue, 135 Watts Street, New York City.
2018
The Board of Trustees cordially invite you to attend the 2018 Chinese New Year Gala to welcome the year of the dog.
2018 — April
Executive Summit 2018: U.S.-China Business in the New World Order. Featuring former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr.; Nobel Prize-winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz; and top U.S. and Chinese business leaders and policy makers.