Museums and cultural institutions build bridges between China, US

From the historical lanes of Three Lanes and Seven Alleys in Fujian province to some of the most renowned museums in the United States, cultural institutions are creating new pathways for dialogue and mutual understanding between China and the US.

For Tina He, founder of the H Foundation for the Arts, that journey began with a personal return to her ancestral home in Fuzhou when she was a university student. Walking through the historical neighborhood of Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, known as a "Museum of Ming and Qing Architecture", she was inspired by the legacy of figures such as Lin Zexu, Yan Fu and Bing Xin, whose lives helped shape modern China.

Those memories later inspired her to promote Chinese culture abroad. In 2016, she established the Cultural Foundations of Zhendai He, named after her great-grandfather, a modern Chinese poet and classical scholar.

"It is not merely about creating an institution, but rather about undertaking a legacy of continuity, carrying these cultural values forward into a new era," he said at the foundation's 10th anniversary and forum.

In recent years, the foundation has helped Chinese artists gain entry into mainstream institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, while also introducing contemporary US artists to Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, where they participate in local exhibitions and cultural programs.

"By building this kind of bridge, we promote cultural exchange between China and the United States," he said.

The role of museums as spaces for dialogue was also highlighted at a conversation on art, institution and community hosted by the foundation, where scholars and museum leaders discussed how public and private institutions can contribute to stronger China-US cultural ties.

Daryle Williams, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, said public institutions continue to evolve alongside the communities they serve.

"We really want to look at how the Chinese American history is," Williams said. "Now we're considering Asian American, Pacific Islander experiences as part of our community that's evolved over time."

Heritage of humanity

Jason Sun, curator of Chinese art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, emphasized that museums safeguard the shared heritage of humanity.

At the world's most visited museums, Chinese art has long held a central place in the story of global civilization. Over the years, landmark exhibitions have introduced US audiences to key chapters of Chinese history.

According to Sun, such exhibitions not only present China's rich civilization but also reveal the long history of interaction between East and West. In this sense, museums help audiences see that civilizations have always learned from one another.

"Through museums, one can understand a country's culture and history, and thereby understand the country itself," Sun said.

Similar views were echoed by Claire Lyons, curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She said the Getty has maintained long-standing exchanges with China and sees strong potential for deeper cooperation in the future.

The museum's China-related programs have examined trade and porcelain exports during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), highlighting centuries of maritime and commercial exchange. It has also presented exhibitions on Mogao Caves in Gansu province. These projects have enabled visitors to appreciate not only artistic beauty but also the painstaking efforts required to preserve cultural treasures.

For Emily Zhang, program director of the foundation, the importance of such connections is becoming even clearer in the digital era. As artificial intelligence and new technologies reshape daily life, she said, human understanding and community matter more, not less.

"In a world where technology becomes more powerful, what matters more and more is our community. It's not just about what we can do, but how we understand each other and how we stay connected," she said. "That is exactly what arts and culture can do."

renali@chinadailyusa.com