History of the Association

Here at Sino American Culture & Performance Exchange, we're committed to investing our expertise and resources in order to further achieve our cause. Since 2000, we've been supporting our community members in a variety of ways and measuring our success not by monetary size, but by more qualitative measurements such as the scale and effectiveness of our efforts. Just imagine what we can achieve together.

Introduction to the Association: The US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association was established in Manhattan, New York in October 1992 by Chinese and American artists and cultural enthusiasts. It is the earliest Sino-US cultural exchange organization in the United States. Ji Chaozhu, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Ding Wei (currently Deputy Minister of Culture) attended the founding ceremony. For 30 years, the Association has devoted itself to cultivating the soil of cultural and educational exchanges between China and the United States, shedding countless sweat. Especially in the early days of the differences in politics, economy, and customs between the two countries, it endured humiliation and carried heavy burdens. With perseverance, pioneering spirit, integrity, and the spirit of daring to take risks, it successfully completed the mission entrusted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and the tasks assigned by many American international art festivals. With its patriotism, integrity and friendship, it has contributed money and effort to help 68 domestic visiting groups establish their reputation in American society, and has done a lot of matchmaking and media publicity work, so that they can return with full loads.

The successful projects of the association can be summarized into three categories:

First, promote Chinese culture and cooperation to mainstream American society (divided into six areas):

1. Mainline planning and implementation:

• In 1993 and 1994, he arranged two exchanges between Shanghai Wenhui Daily, the New York Times and the American ABC TV station.
• In 1994, a meeting was arranged between the editor-in-chief of Shanghai's Wenhui Daily and Peter Jennings, the most influential anchor of ABC TV in the United States.
• In 1995, Pan Zhenzhou, Vice Minister of Culture, was invited to lead a delegation to visit the United States and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
• In 1996, he accepted the task of the Ministry of Culture to build a bridge between the China Culture and Art Corporation (China Arts) under the Ministry and the three major performing arts companies in the mainstream American society. He recommended China Arts to join the American International Performers Association and let China become a member of the board. This paved the way for the three tenors Pavarotti and Domingo to visit China and perform in the Forbidden City.
• In 1997, he built a bridge for cooperation between the China International Performing Arts Company under the Ministry of Culture and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and MIG Performing Arts Company.
• In 1998, the Ministry of Culture granted approval for China to introduce the first American Broadway play "Crazy for You".
• On March 10, 2014, the association created a large-scale symphony chorus,Disciple Rules”, performed by American college students at the University of California.

2. Producing large-scale performing arts events:

• In 1992, 1993 and 2000, concerts of Dong Rongcan's works, Wen Kezhen's vocal concert and Dong Rongcan's romantic piano concert were held at Carnegie Hall in the United States.
• In 1995, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, a large-scale ballet "The White-Haired Girl" was rehearsed in New York, and Pang Dan was introduced to star in it, allowing her to show it to the public for the first time.
• In 1995, it hosted the first Asian American model competition in the United States.

3. Participate in international art festivals

Over the past 20 years, we have invited numerous art groups including Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe, North China Electric Power University, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing International Studies University, Capital University of Economics and Business, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai Xuhui Middle School, Beijing No. 65 Middle School, Shanghai Normal University Affiliated Middle School, and Shanghai Xinhua Junior Middle School to participate in international art festivals. They have won many awards, won reputation for China, spread the friendship of the Chinese people, and their visits to the United States have been successful every time.

4. Introducing American culture

The association led the Las Vegas Legends Art Troupe in 1993, the Playboy Rock and Dance Troupe in 1995, the Las Vegas Art Troupe, the American Western Ballet in 2000, the Ruili Ubery Modern Dance Company in 2002, the Westminster University Chorus in 2008, the Utah Valley University Original Dance Troupe in 2012, the Utah Valley University Chamber Choir in 2013, and the Utah Youth Dance Troupe in 2017 to hold exchange performances in China, building friendship between the peoples of the two countries and Americans' understanding of China.

5. International Competitions

In 2012, he led the Blue Power Choir of North China Electric Power University in Beijing to participate in the 7th World Choir Competition and won the silver medal. In 2013 and 2015, the Xuhui Middle School Dance Troupe, Hangzhou Youth Acrobatic Troupe, and Capital University of Economics and Business Art Troupe won the gold medal in the 28th Idaho International Dance Music Art Festival and Competition; and the gold medal in the 30th Idaho World Summer Art Festival. The association worked all night to win the right to speak in the jury meeting and successfully won gratifying honors for China.

6. Cultural exchange between Chinese and American communities

From 2011 to 2013, the association planned and organized the Xujiahui Street Art Troupe in Shanghai, the Hongbo Community Art Troupe in Wuxi in 2013, the Shanghai Senior Citizens Art Troupe, and the Chinese Tai Chi Culture "New Silk Road. Chinese Culture Week" of the General Administration of Sport of China in 2017. These activities successfully entered communities, schools, and governments in the United States, and widely opened up cultural exchanges between the people of China and the United States, setting a precedent.

2. Educational cooperation and studying abroad (divided into four areas)

• Sino-foreign cooperative education:

We have provided free services to Nankai University School of Economics and Donghua University Xuri Business School to establish sister relationships with American universities, exchange students, 2 2 dual degrees, and executive master's degree programs.

• Chinese High School Diploma Program and Friendly Schools:

We have established high school dual diploma programs for Wuxi Foreign Language School, Dalian Huiwen Middle School, Chongqing Fudan Middle School, Shanghai Fudan Guanghua Education Group and their counterparts in the United States. We have also established sister school relationships with Qingdao No. 1 Middle School, Qingdao No. 16 Middle School, and Nankai University. In 2013, we founded and operated the Shanghai Tongbai High School International Class. We established the Kunming Transportation Investment Company Sino-US International School.

• Scholarships to study in the United States:

The association has used its good reputation in the United States to secure considerable scholarships for Chinese students. Each student can receive a four-year scholarship of US$70,000 to US$90,000 based on their domestic academic performance.

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• Study tours: improving Chinese students' international perspectives

Organize and invite dozens of student delegations from Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu and other regions to conduct study tours and visits in the United States, allowing them to:

1. Enter Harvard University and experience American university life
2. Enter an American family and experience basic American culture
3. Enter the government and have a dialogue with the mayor
4. Community Outreach and the American People's Friendship Alliance

3. Philanthropy

1. From 1993 to 1995, the US-China Cultural and Art Exchange Association organized Chinese artists in New York to visit a number of nursing homes in the United States for charity performances and donations, which caused a response in American society.
2. In 1999, the association invited the Hangzhou Youth Acrobatic Troupe to perform a consolation show and donated the proceeds to the injured Chinese athlete Sang Lan.
3. Founding of Shanghai Xiuying Nursing Home: Who says that a little grass can repay the kindness of parents? In 2005, out of love for his mother and care for the elderly, President Dong Rongcan of the association donated 1 million yuan in the name of his mother Zhao Xiuying and founded the Pudong New Area "Shanghai Xiuying Nursing Home” (No. 30, Lane 380, Dezhou Road, Pudong, Shanghai). Mainstream media such as Xinmin Evening News gave extensive follow-up reports on this patriotic and loving heart.
4. In 2008, after the Wenchuan earthquake, President Dong Rongcan went to the front line and created theHand in hand, we will go through wind and rain together》 music album. On May 12, 2009, a hundred actors were organized to enter the disaster area to hold the "Hand in Hand, Walking Through Wind and Rain" performance to commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake. The People's Daily reported on it:Dong Rongcan: A Chinese American with a Chinese heart” (2009.6.2 People’s Daily “Overseas Edition” page 6).
5. Supporting needy students to study in the United States: From 2013 to 2015, the association supported Xinjiang student Li Ying, Hubei student Deng Yizhou, Shenzhen student Meng Ran, and Zhang Shiao, who had no financial means at all, to study in Salt Lake City high school and university.
6. On December 1, 2015, in response to Peng Liyuan's appointment as the "AIDS Care Ambassador", the association exclusively directed, wrote the script and composed the music, paid for the venue rental, lighting, sound, and scenery, and produced the large-scale charity musical "Love and Life", a charity performance at Shanghai Daning Theater, in conjunction with the establishment of the "AIDS Special Fund" of the Shanghai Charity Foundation, moved all the audience.