Design and art works by East China Normal University students go on display in New York

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a large-scale mixed-media collage titled Mei Lanfang's Visit to the US. Measuring over one meter in length, the artwork incorporates 1930s newspaper layouts and illustrations of Peking Opera characters. Yu Wenjun, a student at ECNU's School of Design, spent months researching historical newspapers and photographs from the US.

"I didn't just want to paint Mei Lanfang. I wanted to recreate the shock and curiosity Americans felt when they saw Peking Opera for the first time," Yu said.

Yu Yougen, education counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, said at the opening that the long-standing partnership between the China Institute of America and East China Normal University continues to deepen educational and cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

"By hosting this exhibition, the two sides demonstrate shared commitment to cultivating young talents, stimulating cross-cultural innovation vitality, and advancing China-US people-to-people and cultural exchanges through art, culture and the voices of the younger generation," Zhou Yong, deputy director of the international cooperation and exchange office of the university, said.