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‘Music diplomacy’ hopes for US-China harmony voiced at launch of Juilliard School campus in Tianjin
- Outpost of famed New York performing arts conservatory started operating last year but recent inauguration praises US-China cultural exchange
- While potential for dialogue is praised by observers, there is concern about China’s recent crackdowns on public entertainers
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The American performing arts conservatory Juilliard School has inaugurated its first overseas campus in China, receiving congratulations from First Lady Peng Liyuan and China’s foreign vice-minister in a sign that Beijing is pushing music diplomacy.
The institution in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin is the first to offer US-accredited music degrees in mainland China and has been operating since October last year. Its campus was officially inaugurated last week.
Xie Feng, the foreign vice-minister, met Joseph Polisi, the president emeritus and the school’s chief China officer, on Friday and said the Tianjin Juilliard School served a unique function in the exchange between Chinese and American young people.
“[The school] can serve as a link that protects and strengthens China-US relations,” Xie was quoted as saying in a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
“Following ping pong diplomacy, music diplomacy can be used to help the cultural exchange between China and the US return to normal.”
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