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Asia Society



 
 
The Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization whose mission is to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
 and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. It was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, the third-generation member of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family

The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
.

The Society's New York headquarters exhibits the Rockefeller Collection of Asian Art which includes some of the most important masterpieces of Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n, Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
n, Tibet
Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
an, Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
ese, Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
n and Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n art in existence.

Society aims to prepare Asians and Americans for a shared future by increasing knowledge and enhancing dialog, encouraging creative expression, and generating new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts and culture.






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The Asia Society is the leading global and pan-Asian organization whose mission is to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
 and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. It was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller III, the third-generation member of the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family

The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
.

The Society's New York headquarters exhibits the Rockefeller Collection of Asian Art which includes some of the most important masterpieces of Chinese
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese, India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n, Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
n, Tibet
Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
an, Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
ese, Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
n and Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
n art in existence.

Mission

The Society aims to prepare Asians and Americans for a shared future by increasing knowledge and enhancing dialog, encouraging creative expression, and generating new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts and culture. It reaches audiences around the world through its headquarters in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, along with a Center on US-China Relations, and regional centers in Houston
Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States of America and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2007 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles ....
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
, San Francisco
San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
, Washington, DC, Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
, Manila
Manila

The 'City of Manila' , or simply 'Manila', is the Capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila....
, Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
, Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, Seoul
Seoul

Seoul is the Capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, It is one of the world's List of cities proper by population.The Seoul National Capital Area - which includes the major port city of Incheon and satellite towns in Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million inhabitants and is the world's second largest List of me...
 and Shanghai
Shanghai

Shanghai is the List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population in China and one of the List of metropolitan areas by population in the world, with over 20 million people....
.

A nonprofit and nonpartisan educational organization, the Society provides a forum for building awareness of the more than thirty countries broadly defined as the Asia-Pacific region - the area from Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 to Iran
Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
, and from Central Asia
Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
 to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 and the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands

The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands . Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia....
. It also has a fellows program which supports full-time resident fellows at the Society with the mission to shape public understanding of social and political developments in Asia.

Through art exhibitions and performances, films, lectures, seminars and conferences, publications and media assistance, and materials and programs for students and teachers, the Asia Society is a global educational organization dedicated to increasing the understanding of the culture, history, and contemporary affairs of Asia. It also co-sponsors the US-Asia Update Roundtable Series at New York's Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonpartisan foreign policy membership organization founded in 1921 and based at 58 East 68th Street in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C....
.

Exhibits change several times throughout the year. A recent example has been An Enduring Legacy: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, featuring significant sculptures, paintings, ceramics, prints and bronzes from the Society's own holdings.

The Society maintains that international studies should be a new basic for all students in the world. In its efforts to bring this about, it has joined up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the fourth-largest Transparency operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill Gates and Melinda Gates....
 to work with urban school districts to create small, international studies secondary schools.

Education Division


Asia Society's Education department has two primary education objectives: one focusing on teaching and learning about Asia in the United States and the other on the expansion of U.S. investments in international studies at the elementary and secondary school levels.

Supporters

The American International Group
American International Group

American International Group, Inc. is a major United States of America insurance corporation based at the American International Building in New York City....
 (AIG) was the major sponsor of the Society's 50th anniversary in 2006. The Society is also supported by contributions from foundations, including both the family's Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D....
 and Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D....
, and major corporations (see below). Prominent individuals also support its activities, such as the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan, Order of St Michael and St George is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh United Nations Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1 January 1997 to 1 January 2007....
, Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger

Henry Alfred Kissinger is a Germany-born United States Jewish political scientist, bureaucrat, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as United States National Security Advisor and later concurrently as United States Secretary of State in the Nixon administration....
, Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch

Keith Rupert Murdoch, Order of Australia, Order of St. Gregory the Great , usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-born International Mass media business magnate....
  and Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (the founder's son), and his son Charles, who are both trustees of the Society.

Another supporter of the Society is the new UN Secretary-General, the South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon is the current Secretary-General of the United Nations of the United Nations.Before becoming Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and in the United Nations....
, who gave an address to the Society on September 25, 2006.

Mark Rockefeller
Mark Rockefeller

Mark Fitler Rockefeller is a fourth-generation member the Rockefeller family. Youngest son of Nelson Rockefeller and mother Happy Rockefeller, his father served as the 41st Vice President of the United States of America and Governor of New York....
 (the youngest son of Nelson
Nelson Rockefeller

Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, the 49th governor of New York, a philanthropist, and a businessperson....
) and his wife Renee are vice chairmen of the Gala Committee of the Society. The Society's New York Museum is located at 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street). The chairman of the executive committee is former US Ambassador and long-time associate of the Rockefeller family, Richard Holbrooke
Richard Holbrooke

Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke , Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under the Presidency of Barack Obama, is a top-ranking United States diplomat, magazine editor, author, professor, Peace Corps official, and investment banker....
; its president is Vishakha N. Desai, who also sits on the board of the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution

The Brookings Institution is a Non-profit organization public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and global economy and development....
.

Gala Committee chairmen

Annual Dinner Gala Committee:
  • Honorary Chairman
    • John D. Rockefeller IV
  • Gala Chairmen
    • Lloyd Blankfein
      Lloyd Blankfein

      Lloyd Craig Blankfein is the current Chief Executive Officer and Chair of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. After the May 31, 2006 nomination of former CEO Hank Paulson as Secretary of the Treasury, Blankfein was announced as his replacement....
      , Goldman, Sachs & Co.
    • Sant S. Chatwal, Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, LLC
    • Stephen H. Long, Citigroup
      Citigroup

      Citigroup Inc., doing business as Citi, is a major United States financial services company based in New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group on April 7, 1998....
       International
    • Martin J. Sullivan, American International Group
      American International Group

      American International Group, Inc. is a major United States of America insurance corporation based at the American International Building in New York City....
      , Inc.


Some major corporate benefactors

  • American International Group
    American International Group

    American International Group, Inc. is a major United States of America insurance corporation based at the American International Building in New York City....
  • Citigroup
    Citigroup

    Citigroup Inc., doing business as Citi, is a major United States financial services company based in New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group on April 7, 1998....
  • Coca-Cola
    Coca-Cola

    Coca-Cola is a carbonation soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines worldwide . It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke or as Cola or Pop....
  • Getty Foundation
    Getty Foundation

    The Getty Foundation, based in Los Angeles, California, at the Getty Center, awards grants for "the understanding and preservation of the visual arts"....
  • Merrill Lynch
    Merrill Lynch

    Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. is a global financial services firm which was acquired by Bank of America. This article describes both the historical Merrill Lynch and its ongoing operations as a subsidiary of the bank....
  • Morgan Stanley
    Morgan Stanley

    Morgan Stanley is a global financial services provider headquartered in New York City, New York, United States. It serves a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals....
  • Pfizer
    Pfizer

    Pfizer Incorporated is a major pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in sales in the world. The company is based in New York City, and its research headquarters is in Groton, Connecticut....
  • Sony
    Sony

    is a multinational corporation list of conglomerates corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding US$99.1 billion ....
Some major sponsors:
  • American Express
    American Express

    American Express Company , sometimes known as "AmEx" or "Amex", is a Diversification global financial services company that is headquartered in New York City, New York....
  • Boeing
    Boeing

    The Boeing Company is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997....
  • ExxonMobil
    ExxonMobil

    The Exxon Mobil Corporation, or ExxonMobil, is an United States petroleum and natural gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D....
  • IBM
    IBM

    International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue" , is a multinational corporation computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, New York, United States....
  • JP Morgan Chase
Some major contributors:
  • Blackstone Group
    Blackstone Group

    The Blackstone Group, L.P. is a an alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate investing and hedge funds investment strategies as well as mergers and acquisitions , restructuring and Private placement agent advisory services....
  • Carlyle Group
    Carlyle Group

    The Carlyle Group is a global private equity investment firm, based in Washington, D.C., with more than $91.5 billion of equity capital under management....
  • Johnson & Johnson
    Johnson & Johnson

    Johnson & Johnson is a global United States pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
  • Merck
    Merck & Co.

    Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the USA and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world....
  • McKinsey
  • Time Warner
    Time Warner

    Time Warner Inc. is the world's third largest media and entertainment Conglomerate by market capitalization , headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City....


See also

  • Rockefeller family
    Rockefeller family

    The Rockefeller family, the renowned Cleveland, Ohio family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an United States industry, banking, and political family of German American origin that made the world's largest private fortune in the History of the petroleum industry in North America during the late 19th and early...
  • David Rockefeller
    David Rockefeller

    David Rockefeller Sr. is an United States banker, statesman, globalist, and the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D....
  • John D. Rockefeller III
  • John D. Rockefeller IV
  • Mark Rockefeller
    Mark Rockefeller

    Mark Fitler Rockefeller is a fourth-generation member the Rockefeller family. Youngest son of Nelson Rockefeller and mother Happy Rockefeller, his father served as the 41st Vice President of the United States of America and Governor of New York....
  • Richard Holbrooke
    Richard Holbrooke

    Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke , Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under the Presidency of Barack Obama, is a top-ranking United States diplomat, magazine editor, author, professor, Peace Corps official, and investment banker....
  • Kofi Annan
    Kofi Annan

    Kofi Atta Annan, Order of St Michael and St George is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh United Nations Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1 January 1997 to 1 January 2007....
  • United Nations
    United Nations

    The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
  • Henry Kissinger
    Henry Kissinger

    Henry Alfred Kissinger is a Germany-born United States Jewish political scientist, bureaucrat, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as United States National Security Advisor and later concurrently as United States Secretary of State in the Nixon administration....
  • Rockefeller Foundation
    Rockefeller Foundation

    The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D....


External links

  • Includes an interview conducted by the Asia Society's AsiaSource with the new UN Secretary-General, on September 26, 2006.
  • Includes praise for the Asia Society for its work in strengthening relations between the US and Asia.
  • His address to the Asia Society on visit to the US in April, 2006.
  • Includes Jay Rockefeller and son Charles, Peggy Dulany, Richard Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger and Kofi Annan.
  • May, 2006 New York Times article on the Asia Society's 50th celebration.