Blog

Pieces of China: Jindong CAI on the Concert That Promoted Dialogue

Sep 24, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series that tells the story of China, one object at a time. It was 1997, and Chinese conductor Jindong Cai wanted to add something challenging to a series of American music concerts he was performing in Shanghai. He first served up some crowd-pleasing Gershwin and Copeland. Then came Corigliano’s Symphony […]

Pieces of China, Yue-Sai Kan on the Lipstick that Changed China, 9.10.20

Sep 11, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In the season 2 premiere, we explore the lipstick that changed China, and the moment women in China were allowed to once again feel beautiful with Yue-Sai Kan, broadcast legend and cosmetics entrepreneur. The year was 1992, and Deng Xiaoping […]

Pieces of China: Yue-Sai Kan on the Lipstick that Changed China

Sep 10, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series that tells the story of China, one object at a time. The year was 1992, and Deng Xiaoping had just urged the Chinese to go out and get rich. Blue and green Mao suits were still common, and the streets bristled with bicycles. Yue-Sai Kan — already known for […]

Pieces of China, Crazy Rich Asians Author Kevin Kwan, 8.13.20

Aug 14, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In the season 1 finale, we explore the cream silk Christian Dior dress, worn by Chinese actress Fei Fei Sun, that perfectly captures the emergence of the Super Rich Chinese onto the global stage. Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy […]

Pieces of China, Zhang Mei of Wild China, 8.6.20

Aug 6, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In the penultimate season 1 episode, number 10 for those who are counting, we explore the white magnolia, a fragrant flower that offers a glimpse into one of China’s most sociologically and biologically diverse regions and a window onto the […]

Pieces of China, Economist Patrick Chovanec, 7.30.20

Jul 31, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In our ninth episode, we explore the railway bond from 1911 that sparked a revolution. with economist Patrick Chovanec. The Hukuang Railway Bond highlighted in this conversation can also inform us about the historic tensions between international trade and investment […]

Pieces of China, Chef Lucas Sin, 7.16.20

Jul 20, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In our seventh episode, we explore the tradtional cooking vessel of the Chinese clay pot with Chef Lucas Sin. Called “Shāguō” 砂锅 in mainland China, or “Wǎ bāo” 瓦煲 in Hong Kong, Chinese clay pots are believed to be one […]

Pieces of China, Rapper Bohan Phoenix, 7.9.20

Jul 14, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In our sixth episode, we explore the Chinese hip-hop television show that inpired rapper Bohan Phoenix but that, when invited, he declined to join. Bohan Phoenix is a Hubei-born, Brooklyn-raised bilingual rapper. His music reflects his multi-hyphenate identity and bridges […]

Pieces of China, Curator Philip Tinari, 7.2.20

Jul 6, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In our fifth episode, we discover how a single black and white photograph of a cluster of Mao-suited Beijingers crowding around a fence outside China’s National Gallery, encapsulates one of the most electric moments in contemporary Chinese history. Curator Philip […]

Pieces of China, Scholar Alfreda Murck, 6.18.20

Jun 19, 2020

Pieces of China is an online series using objects to tell the story of China. In our fourth episode, we discover the secret jokes hidden in Along the River During the Qingming Festival, (清明上河圖), a panoramic Song dynasty hand scroll that captures the daily life of people in the Song capital of Bianjing汴京, today’s Kaifeng […]