The China Institute celebrated its 89th anniversary on Friday with a fundraising gala and a preview for members of its new lower Manhattan facility.

At the anniversary gala, the institute also honored four individuals with its annual Blue Cloud Award for their contributions to its mission and enrichment programs: Jon Huntsman, former US ambassador to China; Leroy Chiao, former NASA astronaut; Shirley and Walter Wang, founder and CEO of Plastpro Inc, and chairman and CEO of JM Eagle, respectively.

"Our entire mission is that in order for us to make the world a better place, the two most important countries have to trust each other," James Heimowitz, president of the China Institute, told China Daily. "The honorees in each of their own ways also have shared our vision and our mission. Governor Huntsman was an ambassador and he understood the importance and continues to understand the importance of our values."

"Same thing with astronaut Leroy Chiao, he understood and continues to work and be an internationalist. He continues to advocate for us to do more and work more with China in the future. Walter and Shirley have heritage in Taiwan, but have worked with Chinese diasporas through a lot of philanthropic causes, to help them with the same goals that we have in a very apolitical, human-to-human way," he said.

The China Institute was founded in Manhattan in 1926 by American and Chinese educators, including Hu Shih, president of Peking University and China's ambassador to the United States, John Dewey, American philosopher and education reformer, and Kuo Pingwen, founder of the National Southeastern University in China.

The non-profit organization, the oldest US-China cultural institution in America, has been at its building on the Upper Eastside since 1944. It will move to a new 52,000 square-foot facility — more than five times the size of its current space — in August. The institute owns the 65th street mansion and it is on the market for $32 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The new home will have more gallery and classroom space as well as an added auditorium, a multi-function room for performances and exhibits and a gift shop. It was designed by Pei Partnership Architects, an architect firm started by the sons of I.M. Pei.

"We're not able to meet the demand and capacity of the current and growing interest in Chinese culture — everything from pop culture to literature, we have programs in, we run the gamut. We're helping the American business community better understand business environment in China. And in order to meet the demand, we're moving from a space that's only 9,000 square feet to a space that's over 50,000 square feet," Heimowitz said.

The move will begin in August and will be done in phases over three years. Events held by the institute take place at the downtown location starting in the fall.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com