The China Institute in America is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, that was founded in 1926.

Purpose

China Institute in America, located at 125 East 65th Street, New York City, advances a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, business, and art in the belief that cross-cultural understanding strengthens the global community. It is the oldest bi-cultural, non-profit organization in America to focus exclusively on China.

The Institute offers programs, activities, courses and seminars on the visual and performing arts, culture, history, music, philosophy, language and literature. They are appropriate for people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as children’s programming, business and current affairs programs and professional development programs for teachers.

History

China Institute was founded primarily as an educational institution in 1926 by a group of American and Chinese educators, including educational philosopher John Dewey

John Dewey

John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...

 of Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 and Chinese educator Hu Shih

Hu Shih

Hu Shih , born Hu Hung-hsing , was a Chinese philosopher, essayist and diplomat. His courtesy name was Shih-chih . Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese liberalism and language reform in his advocacy for the use of written vernacular Chinese...

 (later president of Peking University

Peking University

Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...

 and China's ambassador to the U.S.). It was funded with Boxer Rebellion

Boxer Rebellion

The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...

 indemnity money (paid by China to the United States) to help administer the Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program

Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship Program

The Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program was a scholarship program funded by Boxer Rebellion indemnity money paid to the United States that provided for Chinese students to study in the U.S...

that provided funding for Chinese students to study in the U.S. Trustees were appointed by the Chinese and American governments. The Institute's School of Chinese Studies, founded in 1933, is the oldest educational center of its kind in the United States.

In 1944, the Institute was chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and defined as a continuing education organization whose purpose was:

To promote education and culture in art, literature, science, history, and other subjects among Chinese and Americans, and to cultivate a mutual understanding between China and the United States and the citizens thereof, by the administration of funds entrusted to the corporation for use in the establishment of scholarships and for other expenses of students studying in the United States...and for the exchange of information and views between Chinese and Americans.

Language

China Institute specializes in Mandarin language courses to students of all backgrounds and proficiency levels. Students are taught to speak, and to read and write using pinyin romanization and simplified characters. All instructors are native speakers with advanced degrees and training. Also offered are courses in Conversation, Reading, and Cantonese, as well as a private tutoring program designed for professionals with business interests in China.

Arts & Culture

The Institute offers instruction in traditional Chinese activities, such as calligraphy and taijiquan, as well as lectures, symposia, workshops, and short courses designed to contextualize traditional and contemporary Chinese art and culture. For K-12 students, Discover China Through Art (DCTA) is China Institute's arts exposure program, designed to introduce students to Chinese art and culture through participatory lectures and workshops based on the current Gallery exhibition.

Professional Development

China Institute provides resources to educators interested in promoting the integration of Chinese history, culture, and language into their curriculum through workshops, study tours, and curriculum guides. In a partnership with East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai, the Institute offers a Joint Masters Program for training K-12 Chinese Language teachers. Educators who complete the program are eligible to become certified in New York State and thirty-five other states to teach in American public schools.

Corporate Programs

China Institute’s corporate programs are developed to provide executives from around the world with forums for networking and information-sharing on issues in U.S.-China business relations through lecture series, corporate Mandarin language programs, and corporate memberships. Each year, The China Institute Executive Summit, an invitation-only corporate conference, brings together leading corporate executives, government officials, entrepreneurs, and economists from China and the U.S for in-depth panel discussions.

External links