An elegant return to form: gowns and glamor at the 2022 The China Project Women’s Conference Gala

The sixth The China Project Women’s Conference, an annual, premier event dedicated to inspiring participants with a series of speakers and fellowship, took place on May 19 and 20.

The two-day event convened a diverse group of thought leaders and visionaries empowering women in U.S.-China Industries with the theme “How women are shaping the rising power.” The first day drew in hundreds of attendees from across the world for a night of online learnings from extremely knowledgeable women in the U.S. China space. (You can read our recap here).

The atmosphere of empowerment and enlightenment carried through to the in-person gala and  awards on Friday as well, the first in-person component for the Women’s Conference since 2020 because of COVID-19 interruptions the previous years.

This year’s honorees for Lifetime Achievement Award included Joyce Chang, the Global Head of Research and a member of the management committee for J.P.Morgan; U.S. trade representative and ambassador Katherine Tai; Roberta Lipson, the CEO of New Frontier Health and founder of United Family Healthcare, the largest integrated private healthcare service providers in China; and Merit Janow, dean at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Nika Soon-Shiong and Di Cai, recipients of this year’s Rising Star Award, were recognized as the next generation of world leaders.

Linda Sun, Deputy Chief of Staff for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, made an appearance at the gala and presented the attendees with a letter from the governor, in which she congratulated the “distinguished group of women” honored at the awards and praised the conference for providing “a venue for dialogue and discussion about the potential of Chinese/Asian women as leaders within the international business community.”

“New York State is fortunate to be home to organizations that promote and support the cultural and professional interests of women throughout our communities,” Gov. Kathy Hochulshe wrote. “The China Project celebrates women of accomplishment whose contributions demonstrate their economic and social impact on many professional areas. From entrepreneurs to executives, they are realizing new heights of success and we recognize them as inspiring role models for women of all backgrounds.”

The program at the gala also included a Guzheng performance by Wu Fei and a stand-up comedy act by Di Cai.

Attended by over 300 readers, supporters, sponsors, investors, and friends of The China Project, the second-day event was well received with one participant commenting, “Many thanks for a wonderful evening. I stand in awe of the talented women in the room.” Another attendee wrote to Anla Cheng, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for pouring your energies, your passion, your graciousness, your goodness into each and all of us. It is a beautiful manifestation of purpose.”

The positive reception from the attendees demonstrated the value of building a community where women working in or with China can inspire, support, and amplify each other. The China Project is honored to lead this community and we want to thank all the speakers and participants for joining us. See you next year!

For a recap on Day 1, read here.